Worlds Apart
by TrueDespair
Summary: Yuui was left alone during spring break. With no one at his side,he embraced what could have been a dull solitude. But then something happened and before he knew it, a pair sapphire eyes were staring back at him. Post!TRC -complete-
1. Lonely no more

Yeah, yeah; i know. _'Another_ crossover story? You have three others still ongoing! When is it going to stop?'

Not sure really. XD

But i had the rough idea of this for a while but just got the courage to write it. But it's in the pet project section like the others so chances are the updates will be slow; but there will be updates.

Just keep up with me, okay? ^_^

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**Warning:** a bit of drama

**Disclaimer: **Don't own them; never will

**Enjoy~!**

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**Prologue: Lonely no more**

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**Yuui was walking down the mildly warm night with groceries in tow. He glanced around the town as he saw most of the stores closing for the day.

It was the last day of school before the spring break at the Horitsuba Academy. The break was about two weeks long and everyone had plans.

Sakura and her older brother Touya were going to visit their grandmother on their father's side. Though what was slightly confusing was that their family friend, Yukito was tagging along with them. Probably because the poor boy had no other plans.

The Li' brothers; Syaoran and Syaoron were on their way to Hong Kong to spend time with their mother and other relatives.

Watanuki will be working at his part-time job since he had no family to visit.

Himawari wasn't at the academy on the last day of school since she already left to travel the world with her dad who was a business man.

Doumeki will most likely be stuck at his family's temple to complete some errands.

Yuuko left in a hurry with her suitcases in tow; screaming about Las Vegas and alcohol.

Frankly, Yuui didn't want to know.

The Mokonas left to go to the beach with their father who nobody has never seen or heard of before. However considering that the academy was already crazy to begin with; it wasn't surprising.

Lastly were Kurogane and Fai.

Yuui was told about what plans they had in the morning. He was happy that the two will have time to just spend it together. But it also sparked a ping of sadness in him.

* * *

"_A vacation in Italy, huh?"_

"_Yep~!" Fai cheered out as Yuui was getting a cup of coffee. "It was actually a big surprise since Kurgy was the one who suggested it~!" He bit down a doughnut that he got from the table._

_Yuui laughed. "He probably heard me talk about the place since I did work there for some time."_

_Sitting at the main table, Fai and Yuui both had a cup of coffee and a sweet treat to nibble on._

"_So when are you leaving?" Yuui asked casually._

"_Well there's a problem." Fai said with a light frown. "As much I wanted to go with Kurgs and spend time together I was kinda worried about something."_

"_Really, about what?" Yuui took a sip of the coffee._

"_About you."_

_Yuui paused mid-sip. He sighed as he put his cup down. "Fai, for the final time; I don't want to go anywhere this spring break. I just want to relax. I'm not bothered with you going away; really."_

_Fai looked a bit unsure but put on a smile nonetheless. "Okay…if you're that sure. I just don't want to go knowing that my little brother might be sad all by himself."_

_Feeling a bit guilty, Yuui smiled back. "I won't be. We not kids anymore, brother. I can handle being on my own; trust me. I'll be okay."_

_If only he believe those words himself._

_

* * *

_"I'm such a liar." Yuui mourned. "I knew that brother had plans but I didn't think that it would be halfway across the world." He had already said his goodbyes to Fai and Kurogane at the front of the school just mere hours ago. The brothers hug while he and Kurogane shook hands.

He saw them off as the two got into Kurogane's car and drove off. He waved happily as Fai leaned out the window to say goodbye one last time. As soon as the car was out of his sight, Yuui let his hand down hesitantly; already feeling a bit down.

He went home and cried a bit before remembering that he had to buy some food for the week; his mood not even lifted up a bit by that time.

"I am a bit sad but it would be selfish of me to not let brother go on that vacation." Yuui contemplated. "All I wanted was to see brother happy and the last we both needed was more drama to our already complicated life." Without thinking turned a corner into a more desolate part of town. He then looked up and groaned. "Great, now I'm lost." He then looked up at the sky. "Can this day get any worse?"

Suddenly, without warning he saw a bit of the sky changing; like something was dropping out of it. Then it bursts as three figures were dropped ungracefully to the ground in an alleyway near the cooking teacher.

Yuui was shocked. "Holy—" Without a second thought, he ran to where the figures landed. He turned to another corner into the alleyway where they were. "Hey, are you guys alright? Anyone hurt?" He then gasped at what he saw before him.

In front of him were people that looked oddly familiar. One was a tall, dark haired man who had a frown on his face as he slowly stood up. "Damn it, why do we always end up falling to the ground like that?"

Another was a young boy with short brown hair that stood up a bit more quickly as the first one. "Not really sure. But it is the first time we've actually fallen from so high up."

Then a white ball of fur came out of nowhere. "Haha~! Yeah~! For a second there, I thought I was flying~!" It made whooshing sounds before the tall one grabbed it.

Then the third one who was behind the rest of them; laughed lightly at the scene. "Now now, big dog; don't hurt the one who is our only way out of here~! You don't want to stuck here forever, now do you~?" He had blonde hair so long that it was in a ponytail.

Yuui's eyes widened. _'That voice…it can't be….'_

The tall one grumbled. "Fine, but if _it_ does something perverted, the two of you will feel the edge of my blade." He touched the sword he had at the side to prove his point.

The young boy looked up and paled; finally noticing that they weren't alone. "Um guys…we have a problem…"

That tone the boy had in his voice made the rest looked up at where he was looking.

The blonde gasped as he and Yuui were staring at each others' sapphire eyes.

Time seemed to have stood still as no one would say a word.

But then, Yuui finally found the courage to open his mouth. "Wha…Wha...What is going on here?" He was beyond shock; he was seeing people that look like people he knew but at the same time they weren't. What just happened to him that night will change him forever.

However, for a single moment, Yuui didn't feel as lonely.

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**END**

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oh boy; trouble. I hope Yuui can handle it.

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
**


	2. Painful Memories

I'll be honest with you all. I have _absolutely_ no idea where I'm going with this. I just feel like the two series should have a crossover and now that i started it i have no idea what to do when it ends. But don't worry; I'll figure out something. ^_^

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**Warning: Drama, language, yaoi, Etc...**

**Minor pairing: KuroFai (this fic is mostly friendship but the pairing itself couldn't get pass me)  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own them; never will**

**Enjoy~!  
**

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**Painful memories**

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**'_This is a dream. It has to be a dream. Please let this be a dream.'_

Yuui was more or less in shock at what was there in front of him. Before his eyes were those four that look like people he knew but at the same time, he knew that they weren't. It was just impossible. As far as he was concerned, his brother and everyone else were gone for spring break. And yet, a pair of sapphire eyes; much like his own were staring back at him with the same reaction.

Just what is going on?

* * *

Kurogane slowly stood up and look between the Fai look-alikes. He can see that the mage was having a hard time seeing another version of his twin. He knew right away upon seeing the man that is wasn't another version of his traveling companion. The vibe he sensed from him was different; despite how similar the two's appearances are.

But the real question was how was Fai taking it?

Having enough of the silence, Kurogane leaned over and touched Fai's shoulder. "Oi mage, you okay?"

Snapping out of his shock, Fai looked up at the ninja and weakly smiled. "Oh Kurgs." He chuckled softly. "I'm sorry; were you saying something just now~?"

Scowling, Kurogane got close to the mage's ear. "I know you're shocked and even scared right now but remember what I said before. You can't let the past control you. It's behind you now and what you need to do is to embrace the present and look forward to the future." He took Fai's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I think _he_ would like that too."

Fai frowned for a moment before smiling up to the warrior. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just….hard for me right now; considering what has happened to us." Fai referred to him and his twin. "Memories like that are hard to forget."

"True but they shouldn't run your life." The ninja softly said. "So don't worry. You're not alone anymore so be damn happy and just…be yourself….your annoying lazy-ass self, okay?"

Nodding and chuckling , Fai let Kurogane wrap an arm around his shoulders; knowing it's the ninja's way of comforting him since the man has no talent for using words for those in need. He'd let actions speak for them.

* * *

As Yuui kept staring at them, Syaoran looked back at him and cleared his throat. "Um excuse me…" He started. "But could you tell us where we are right now…considering we just got here." He was expecting the man to either run away in fear or keep staring at them in awe. What he didn't expect was for the man to drop his bags and walk up to them with lightning speed.

When Yuui's face was mere inches from Syaoran's face, the young traveler stepped back a bit in order to lessen the close proximity that made him a bit uncomfortable.

Leaning back, Yuui deeply frowned. "I thought it was some prank or even an illusion but here you all are; in plain sight."

"I'm sorry?" Syaoran said; promptly confused.

"Who are you and why are you here?" Yuui demanded; ignoring the expressions of the group's faces. "And please don't lie; I have a brother who lies to me all the time so I have the distinction to know what a lie is and what's not."

"At least someone does." Kurogane muttered; pulling Fai's body close to him.

Finding no way around it, Syaoran sighed. "Okay then. My name is _Syaoran_ and these are my traveling companions; Kurogane…" The tall man nodded. "Fai…" The blonde weakly waved; feeling a bit awkward. "And this is…"

"MOKONA~!" A white ball of fur hopped on Syaoran's head. "Mokona Modoki at your service~! Handshake~?"

Blinking, Yuui took Mokona's tiny paw and shook it. "Um…a pleasure."

"So you know our names, how about you tell us yours?" Kurogane rudely asked.

"Oh, my name?" Yuui said; with the same tone. "If you must know, it's Yuui; Yuui Fluorite." He ignored the other blonde's shocking reaction. "And to answer your earlier question, you're in Japan, though I doubt you know what that is."

Syaoran smiled up at the man. "Well actually, we have heard of Japan, but we have been to different versions of Japan in the past; it's part of our travel after all."

"Traveling? Different versions of Japan? Just what are you getting at?" Yuui was getting more and more confused by the second. First he saw the group fall out of the sky then as it turns out they look like people he knew and on top of that; one of them might be his other twin from who knows where.

Knowing that Yuui wouldn't understand, Syaoran chuckled. "Well you see, we—"

Mokona's stomach growled; cutting off the boy off. "Oops~! Mokona's getting hungry~!" She rubbed her belly. "Food~! Mokona wants some food~!"

Kurogane huffed. "What else is new fatty?"

As the white fur ball and the ninja were fighting, Yuui stepped up. "Well, I can assist you all with that, I shopped for some food and was on my way home to cook. You can come if you like." He kinda felt a bit guilty since he was rude to them at first. He just wanted to make sure that he wasn't tricked or anything. "In fact; why don't you all stay at my place for a while?"

Syaoran shook his head as Mokona cheered. "Oh no! You don't have to do that! We're just fine camping out and all. You don't have to do that for us!"

Yuui shook his head with a smile. "Nonsense." He looked at the whole group. "You are more than welcome to stay with me. Besides where else can you go?" When he saw that the boy had nothing to say back he smiled victoriously. "Now that's out of the way, how about we get going? I'll make sure that I cook enough for all of us."

"Hyuu~!" Fai cried out as he ran up to the pair (while Kurogane grabbed Mokona and started pulling her ears). "Thank you so much for inviting us~! We won't cause any problems for you, we promise~!" Then he was surprised when Yuui gently took his hand.

"I know that we just met and all but I hope that we…can be friends." Yuui tried to smile for the blonde traveler, though the emotions expressed in his eyes were entirely different.

Looking at the hand then at Yuui, Fai happily took it; his eyes expressing the same emotions. "I'd like that."

Then the three left the alley with Syaoran carrying the bags; leaving Kurogane and Mokona alone in the dark narrow place.

Though it didn't take long before, they both noticed.

"Hey, where the hell did everyone go?"

* * *

"Make yourself at home." Yuui opened the front door of his place before letting the group in. "It's a small house with only one spare room but I'll pull out the couch later if you like." He took the bags from Syaoran as he walked into the kitchen. "I'll be making dinner so please feel free to look around until then."

"Thank you very much." Syaoran and the rest of the group eased themselves into the living room as they took a look around. The room itself was ordinary; nothing worth gawking about. It had a TV, a couch, a reading chair, a carpet for the floor, a small table and a few random pictures on the wall.

Fai pouted as he sat on the chair. "Hyuu. Who know Yuui would be so bland in room decorating?" He was still a bit down from earlier but he couldn't help but smile as his eyes landed at a picture of an ocean. Yup; bland indeed.

Syaoran and Mokona sat on the couch as they took off their outer jackets.

"I don't know Fai. Maybe he just likes things simple and pleasant. He doesn't seem like the eccentric type." The young boy contemplated. But it proved one thing; the Yuui in this world may not be another version of his traveling friend. "Even so, when he saw us, he didn't act so surprised. Granted he was shocked when he apparently saw us falling from the sky and getting up without serious injury but it was like he saw us from somewhere."

"But this is the first time we met. There's no way he knew anything about us~!" Mokona pointed out.

The mage placed a finger under his chin in thought. "Well that's true but when we looked at each other, we felt a scary but slight recognition with each other and he did mention that he has a brother but this is a different world after all so why would he be shocked but not so much as surprised to see all of us?"

"Maybe it's because he knew the versions of us in this world."

The rest of the group looked over at Kurogane who was standing in front of the table that was next to the front door.

"Hmm? What do you mean by that, Kuro?" Fai asked.

The ninja pointed at what was on top of the table. The travelers got up and looked to where Kurogane was looking. On top of the table were some pictures taken probably in the last year. In each picture were the world's version of themselves and a few others that they knew. Even a couple of them they were a bit surprised at.

"Watanuki and Yuuko?" Syaoran said. "But that's not possible. Yuuko's dead and as far as time and space goes, there's only one version of Watanuki."However in one of the pictures in clear sight were the teen and the 'witch' smiling at the camera.

"Nothing's impossible." Mokona calmly pointed out before jumping up in down in delight. "Oh and look, it Mokona and Mokona from this world~!" As she stated, in another picture were the black and white Mokona playing with water guns and having fun.

"Why look at that, there's this world's version of Kuro-puu too~!" Fai pointed out as there was a picture of Kurogane getting his cheeks pulled by what was obviously looked like Fai from this world. "Haha~! He's even grumpy in this world too~!"

"Of course he would be." Kurogane angrily said. "No matter what world we land in there will be a moron like you annoying the hell out of any version of me to no end so I'm not freaking surprised!"

Syaoran looked at most at these pictures and found something similar in them. "Hey guys; check this out. Did you notice that the versions of me and most of the people we met are in a school uniform of some sort?"

The two adult and the white furball inspected the pictures and sure enough, most of the pictures looked like it was taken at a school of something.

"Wow, you're right." Fai said with awe. "So I guess Yuui's a teacher working there and it looks he's dating Kuro-muu too~!" He dodged a smack coming from the blushing ninja.

However a couple things didn't add up. If what Fai said about the assumption of Yuui and the Kurogane in this world were dating then why would he be living alone. Then there's the fact of 'Yuui' in those pictures. In them he looked so happy and ecstatic whereas he was calm and down-to-earth in person. Then there's the fact that Yuui's hair that's in a ponytail like Fai's but in the pictures they were short; just barely touching the shoulders.

The assumption was that he grew his hair eventually though it didn't felt like it was true.

Something was definitely amiss.

However, before they could think further on the subject….

"Okay guys; dinner time!"

The group turned their heads to see Yuui walking into the living room wearing an apron and wiping his hands on a towel.

"I hope you guys like fried chicken and mashed potatoes. I forgot to ask what you all want but I can tell that you all are not so picky with…." Yuui stopped short as they had questionable looks on their faces. "What's wrong? If you don't like that kind the food, I can just make something else."

"Oh no! It's not that!" Syaoran insisted. "It's just that…well…." He looked at Fai to Kurogane to Mokona to the pictures before looking back at his host. "You see…."

Yuui raised an eyebrow before his eyes caught sight of the pictures on top of the small table. He sadly smiled. "Oh so you all saw the pictures huh?" He put the towel over his shoulder before walking past them and towards the table. "I mean it when I said I wasn't from here. In fact I'm only lived in this place for a few months. Those pictures were given to me when I got this place."

Now the group was more confused. If Yuui was only living in Japan for a few months then who was the blonde in some of those pictures….Unless….

No; it can't be.

"I just actually born in a country called France but lived in Italy for some odd years coming here. I got a job at a school as one of the teachers because a certain someone wouldn't stop talking about me and my talents."

"…What are your talents?" Syaoran shyly asked.

Yuui smiled at him. "Cooking and baking."

Kurogane glanced at Fai. It sure _sounded_ like Fai since he's into cooking and crap but something was still off.

"So after much inner conflict and advice from an unlikely person (**1**), I took the job as the cooking teacher at the school. As happy as I was to be there and doing what I love, there are some things that I'm still not used to but I'm learning as time goes on." Yuui looked sadly at Fai. "Um…that talk about different versions of people on our way here and the conversation that I overheard just a moment ago got me thinking and… after much thought i should tell you all this; I'm not _the_ Fai. At least not in _this_ world anyway."

The group gasped.

Fai tried his best not to cry; nothing could prepare him for this moment. "So that means…that blonde in those pictures…the one with the short hair and that big smile…he's really…."

Yuui nodded. "Yes."

One word; one word of confirmation was all it took for Fai's own world to crash down.

Instinctively, Kurogane got a hold of Fai just in case he were to faint on the spot. Not that he could blame him, of course.

Mokona looked at Fai sadly. She could feel the distress and slight shock coming from him.

Syaoran looked over at the adult pair before glancing at Yuui. "I see. But just to verify; how could we be absolutely sure that you're not this world's version of our friend?"

Then for a mere moment, the group saw Yuui's expression darken a bit as he frowned. "Trust me; I would know even after being alone for so long. He is my only family after all."

For a few seconds, no one would utter a word.

Then Yuui sadly smiled. "Now then, dinner anyone?" He then walked out of the living room; his steps echoing the whole house; the place displayng the same emotions as its owner.

Sad, alone, and empty.

* * *

Dinner went by without any incident. Mokona talked to Yuui about the worlds the group has gone to and what adventures they had plus the troubles they got into in the process. Syaoran would make a comment or two about certain things; just in case Mokona would lie about it just to fluster him.

Too bad it worked.

Kurogane didn't say more than three words at a time and at most he would say a sentence before just letting everyone else do the talking.

However, Fai had been oddly quiet during the whole thing. He ate his food but wouldn't say a word to anyone. He was still deep in thought about what happened earlier. He supposed that he should be happy that the twins were alive and well in this world but at the same time he was sad; sad at the fact that they are not really with each other like twins should be.

Granted, he doesn't know Yuui's Fai but he had been a twin long enough to see the signs.

He sighed as he messed around with his mashed potatoes. At that point he just didn't feel like eating anymore and that's a shame.

Because it wasn't the food that made his stomach turn.

* * *

Eventually, the sleeping arrangements were made and everyone went to sleep. Syaoran and Mokona took the spare room and bid everyone a goodnight. Yuui was sleeping in the living room. He was sleeping on the couch which was a second bed to him for most nights.

As for Fai and Kurogane…

* * *

"It was nice of Yuui to let us use his bedroom for awhile."

Fai was already in bed with just a big t-shirt on while reading a book that the host had lying around. Oddly enough, it was in a language that was familiar to him. It wasn't before long to see that it was a historical-fiction novel. He figured it was one of Yuui's favorite genres to read.

Kurogane was taking off his inner shirt with a huff. "Yeah, it was. Though I would have been fine just sleeping on the couch."

As the shirt fell to the floor, Fai got a good look of Kurogane's mechanical arm. It had been a while since they have been to Piffle country but it was nice to see that world's version of Tomoyo. However when it came down to it, Kurogane refused the option of prosthetic skin. The reason he gave them was that it was too much of a hassle while in fact the truth was he wanted the arm as it was as a reminder of who he protected and cared for.

And the sacrifice that came with it.

With only pants on, Kurogane got under the covers and sighed. "You know mage, you haven't one word during dinner and usually you're a chatterbox. I assume that what Yuui had said really shook you to the core, huh?"

Closing the book, Fai frowned but didn't make eye contact. "I….I've always wondered if it was any other world, _Fai _and I would be happy; twins or otherwise. That those versions didn't suffer as greatly as we did. Of course I'm happy that this world's version of twins didn't have a horrid past….but…"

"But what?" Kurogane asked.

"But…I can't say the same thing for Yuui. If what he said is true ten why does he look miserable?" Fai placed the book on the nightstand. "I know that we just met but I couldn't help but feel _I_ was the one who made him sad; that the very fact that I'm here is causing him pain." He then felt a hand over his.

"You don't know that." Kurogane said softly. "I know that seeing him made you a bit crappy inside but you have your reason just like him seeing you made him crappy but for reasons that we don't even know." He then shrugged. "For all we know maybe him and his brother had a fight and haven't made up yet."

"But where is he?" Fai sadly asked. "Where's this version of me? Yuui wants him, not me. He feels sad without him and…" His eyes started to water. "It's just painful to see."

"I know." Kurogane grunted softly. "But that's not our problem. Whatever happened to him might be due to the fact that you've entered into this world and if you two meet, something might happen. I can't say if it would be bad or not." He gently grabbed Fai and placed him on top of his lap. "If Yuui doesn't want to talk about it then that's up to him but to say that _you_ are the only reason he's depressed is very arrogant; don't you think?"

Rubbing his eyes, Fai chuckled. "That's a laugh coming from you, Kuro-king." He then placed his head on Kurogane's right shoulder." But you're right. I just hate to see Yuui this way. Will he ever be okay?"

Looking at the mage, Kurogane softly kissed him on the lips. "Only time will tell."

**END**

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Wasn't that sweet of Kuro~?

(**1**)- An indirect shameless advertisement for one of My friend's ( _Leia de Flourite_) oneshot:_**December Baby: Yuui and the Boy. **_(Really, have a read; it would change your perspective on Horitsuba a bit)

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
**


	3. A day out

Finally finished this chapter.

Story sucked me in.

Swimming in deep water here.

Pray for the people in Japan in the wake of the disaster that occurred just days ago.

Watch out; drama and language coming your way.

Enjoy. ^_^

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**A day out**

**

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**Quiet breathing, the sight of a chest rising and falling and an occasional chirp coming from outside. That's how a perfect Saturday morning would or rather _should_ be for the morning-hating cooking teacher; Yuui.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Instead, he was rudely awakened by the shrill noise of the kitchen telephone. Mercilessly pulled from the deep content of his slumber, Yuui got up and rolled out of the bed…only to painfully realize that he was not in his own bed. He fell to the floor hard on his stomach as the blanket flew and landed on his back.

Oh how he _hated_ getting up early in the morning.

Groaning in pain, he dully noticed that it was indeed very early. The sun was just about to rise over the horizon. He then concluded that it might be five or six in the morning. He got up with a dark glare and a deep frown.

'_Someone had better be dying.' _

The phone continued to ring as Yuui went to the kitchen and checked the caller ID. It said Italy with its number that wasn't used in Japan. He sighed; knowing very well who might be calling. Sighing, he picked up the phone. "….Fluorite Residence; Yuui speaking."

"_YUUI~! HI~! HOW ARE YOU TODAY~?"_

The person in question growled angrily at the bubbly voice he knew so well. "Hello there **brother**." He gritted his teeth in both exhaustion and frustration. "As much as I like hearing from you, I hope you realize the time difference between here and there." He then heard a growl on the other end.

"_See I told you that he'll get pissed. He's your brother for god's sake! You should this by now!"_

"_Oh shut it Kuro-puu, I just wanted to call him to let him know what's going on! I'm a caring brother~!"_

"_Says the guy who just called his twin at an ungodly hour __**in Japan**__. I swear it's a miracle that you're not dead yet."_

"_That's mean Kuro-rin~! Yuui wouldn't kill me for something as calling him early in the morning~!"_

"_Really? Then he must be a freaking saint for him to put up with a lot of crap you've pulled when you two were kids. I mean seriously, he should go to freaking therapy because of you like that one time—"_

"GUYS!" Yuui shouted out, shutting the two up. "Brother, as much I would _love_ to defend you; Kurogane's right. Couldn't you have called me a bit later or something?" He then heard Fai whining dramatically on the other end.

"_Aww~! But Yuui~! I just wanted to hear from you considering that we haven't called you in a while~! I'm sorry if I woke you up at a bad time but I was worried and couldn't wait any longer~!"_

Now feeling a bit guilty, Yuui leaned on the wall, next to the phone stand. "…I know. I'm sorry too. But you don't have to worry about me. I'm been fine alone so far. Besides, it hasn't been _that_ long since I've last seen you guys. I do get sad a bit but knowing that you're having fun makes me feel better…..even at 6 o' clock in the morning." He chuckled softly.

"_Hehe. That's good to hear. I just got a bit anxious and all. I promise not to call you randomly next time."_

"Thank you. That's all I wanted." Yuui then yawned. "Now if you don't mind, I would like to get some more sleep before the sun comes up. I'll be waiting by the phone to talk to you again."

"_Okay then~! I'll talk to you later then~! Bye~! Love you~!"_

Then a growl was heard in the background.

"_Oh and Kuro said Love you too~!"_

"_I did NOT say that you freaking liar!"_

"_Of course you did. That's why you hated seeing Yuui so sad that you wanted to hug him so tightly in your arms; wanting to sing him a lullaby~!"_

"_I NEVER SAID THAT YOU SICK F-" _

Yuui quickly hung up; knowing exactly what would happen next. Yawning, he stretched his arms. "Right, back to the couch then." He turned around and was shocked to see Syaoran standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes while holding Mokona with one arm. If he didn't know any better, Yuui would have thought that Syaoran looked much younger and cuter half-asleep. "Oh, good morning Syaoran. Is something wrong?"

Raising an eyebrow, Syaoran cradled Mokona in his arms. "I just heard noises and shouting coming from the kitchen so I came here to see what was going on. Is everything alright?"

The blonde sighed. "I just got a phone call and as you just heard, I'm not much of a morning person. Sorry." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You can go back to bed. It's a Saturday so you don't have to keep yourself up."

Syaoran nodded but didn't move. Instead, he smiled. "I see. But now that we are both awake, there's something I like to ask you about." He then yawned a bit. "If that's okay."

Blinking, Yuui sighed. "I guess it's okay. You are a guest in this house so it'd be rude not to."

* * *

Sitting on the couch, Syaoran grabbed the blanket and wrapped Mokona with it and placed her on his lap.

Yuui followed suit; sitting next to Syaoran. "So what is it that you want to talk about?" He then saw the boy's face as a sad expression was seen. "If you feel too down ask then don't push yourself-"

"Why is Yuuko alive?"

Catching off-guard by the sudden question, Yuui opened his mouth then closed it. He had no idea what Syaoran was asking for and frankly it kind of irked him. "I'm not sure what you mean by that. And how do you know Yuuko? You've only been here for a day; less than a day in fact. So why would you know anything about her?"

Syaoran looked at the window with a solemn look. "Well do you remember what I talked about yesterday; about how there are different versions of people in each world we go to?" He sighed. "The Yuuko that the group and I know was called the dimensional witch."

"The dimensional witch?" Yuui repeated. "Well I'm not too surprised on the witch part considering that she has been called that at the academy where I work at." He then tilted his head in confusion. "But I'm not getting it. What do you mean why is Yuuko alive? She's always been alive here and doing well even." _'Minus the fact that she's in Las Vegas drinking like a fish and gambling like mad man.' _He added mentally. "I know that I overheard you guys talking about Yuuko but I didn't hear it clearly. Why is it so surprising that she would be here?"

For a minute, Syaoran didn't utter a word. Then he opened his mouth but a voice beat him to it.

"The Witch we know died."

Yuui turned his head to see Kurogane standing a few feet away from him. He was wearing his jacket that he saw on him the night before. He briefly wondered why he was wearing it inside but mentally shrugged it off; thinking he was just cold. "What do you mean she's dead?"

Kurogane huffed. "That witch did something in order to help us. The Yuuko we know can grant wishes in exchange for a price that equal to that damn wish." He then sighed. "Look I won't bore you with the details because your mind would get fucked if you tried to let the information sink in. To make the long story short, she sacrificed with her own life for a wish and according to a certain person who's now dead too, Yuuko ceased to exist in every world."

"And to hear that there's a Yuuko in this world…or in any world just…shocks us." Syaoran finished quietly. "We were all saddened by it when we found out but I guess she knew it would happen one way or another."

"So, this…_witch_," Yuui started. "Was really another version of Yuuko here? And on top of that can grant wishes and help you guys on the journey."

Syaoran nodded. "Yes."

It would seem that Kurogane was smart not to talk too much about the whole Yuuko/witch-being-alive/another version situation as Yuui pressed two fingers on his forehead; obviously getting a migraine from all of that. "I see. I guess if I was in your position I would be shocked too." He then felt a small paw touch his knee. He looked over and saw Mokona leaning over to him with tears in her eyes.

"Yuuko was the greatest person in the world. She did all that she could so we all be safe and happy. But I feel sad sometimes because I never got to say goodbye to her; not even for a moment." Mokona started to sniffle; stressing at the fact that her creator/parent was gone.

Letting out a small smile, Yuui took the creature into his arms and hugged her. "I can understand that; not being able to say goodbye to the people you cared about, seeing them die without the ability to do anything about it and always wishing that there was another way to save them but knowing it won't do any good."

Mokona looked up at the blonde. "Yuui…you mean…."

At first Yuui didn't say anything. Then he bravely kissed the creature on the forehead. "Let's not burden ourselves with the past. That's why it's called the past." He then cleared his throat. "You can come out now Fai, I won't bite; I promise." He joked lightly.

Then out of the doorway, Fai shyly stepped in. He weakly smiled. "Now how on earth did you know I was there the whole time~?"

Yuui shrugged. "Not sure really. Just that I knew you were there listening in….and the fact that you've been avoiding me since dinner last night." He quietly said as he started petting Mokona. "I can understand why you don't want to reveal everything just yet, we've only met but I hope you…four know that if you need to vent or talk about something; I'll listen. I would regardless."

The tension of the room lessened a bit as Mokona squealed in happiness and Syaoran thanking him profusely. Fai looked over at Kurogane whose expression softened as he glanced back at him. The mage nodded; getting the message. He wanted to ease the rift that was between him and Yuui; even though the rift was not created by them.

"So how about some breakfast~?" Fai suddenly said. "I can cook so I can make something as a thank you for letting us stay here~! In fact I'll create a mew dish that will blow people away~!" Then out of nowhere, the mage saw a gleam in Yuui's eyes. It almost looked…mischievous.

"Oh really?" Yuui asked as he gave Mokona to Syaoran. "I like to see you try to take away my kitchen." He stood up and walked over to Fai with a playing smirk. "How about a contest?" He crossed his arms. "We make a dish that shows both speed and quality. The first one to have it done wins. How about it?"

At first, Fai was going to decline it; thinking that he pushed the other blonde too far…then he briefly saw him winking at him. He smirked back. "Oh ho~! I like a good challenge~! It'd be fun to see you _lose_. Okay then, I accept."

The two blonde shook hands before running towards the kitchen with Mokona hopping close behind as quickly as she could.

Syaoran quietly laughed as he can hear noises of cooking ware being clashed and abused. "It seems that those two are suddenly getting along."

Kurogane rolled his eyes as he messaged his left shoulder. "Yeah, _too sudden_ if you asked me. I think the mage finally got to his thick head that whatever happened to Yuui was not his doing. He's an idiot to think otherwise."

The boy raised his head. "Did you talk to him last night?"

"More or less."

"Well that's good." Syaoran happily concluded. He then looked at Kurogane who had a mildly pained look on his face. "Is the arm bothering you again?"

Looking back at the boy, Kurogane scowled. "Not any more than before. Random aches; no big deal." He then covered the whole thing back up with his jacket. "I don't want to expose this arm to Yuui just yet since he already had trouble believing us with that whole Yuuko crap and the traveling to different worlds thing too."

"He may not believe us completely, but he trusts us which is more than enough. He wants to at least try to understand the whole concept of why we're here and such." Syaoran lay on the couch with him staring at the ceiling. "Do you think….that this could be one of those worlds that…well…."

Kurogane shrugged. "The hell if I know. All I know is we could be here for a while; might as well take it as maturely as freaking possible."

Then there was a sound of a crash that alerted the guys as they whipped their heads towards the direction of the kitchen. Then Mokona hopped into the room with a giddy smile on her face.

"Yuui and Fai are now wrestling on the floor covered in batter and sugar~!"

The ninja covered his face in both grief and embarrassment. It didn't help that it was turning bright red too.

Syaoran on the other hand…. "I think Mokona's not the only one thinking dirty here." His smile was all the ninja needed to frown and look away.

"Shut up. As if I'm any more perverted then that damn white cream puff."

"Hey~!"

* * *

A few hours later and the group; lead by Yuui were now walking around the city, both getting new clothes for the travelers and have fun while doing it. Since their original outfits might stand out too much, Yuui lend Syaoran some of his smaller size clothing that he kept in his bedroom. As for Kurogane and Fai, he had to go to his brother's place and get certain clothes for them (all thanks to a spare key that the chemistry teacher gave him for reasons unknown).

But what was odd was that Kurogane insisted on wearing a pair of gloves; black ones to be exact. Granted, the spring days are often a bit cold but the man was already a long black shirt with a leather jacket. Something just wasn't right with that.

Before he got further into his thinking, Fai grasped his arm with a giggle; snapping him out of his thoughts. He jumped a bit before frowning at the 'mage'. "Was that really necessary?" He couldn't though help but feel his mouth twitch upwards as Fai laughed a bit.

"Sorry~! You were just very quiet and I thought you were sad again~!" Fai hugged Yuui before wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "And we can't have that~! You're too cute to be so sad and frowning like that~!"

Blushing, Yuui look away. "I'm _not _cute. I'm a grown man." He hadn't been called cute since he was little by his parents and his own twin brother as well.

Kurogane scoffed. "So this moron over here but believe me it takes more than a comment to stop him calling people or himself that. Trust me; _I tried_." He then yelped as he was bombarded by Mokona who took the moment to jumped in front of his face. "DAMN IT PORK BUN!"

Ignoring the fighting pair, Syaoran walked up to match the two blondes' pace. "So where are we going first?"

"Well first we have to go to a few stores to buy some clothes for you all mainly because I can't have you take my friends' pants and shirts to other worlds and then we're going to a fast food restaurant to get something to eat." Yuui almost chuckled as he heard Fai cheering next to him.

"Yay~! We're going shopping for new clothes~!" Fai cried out happily. "Hey, is it okay if I get those 'logo' t-shirts that have cool sayings on them~? I always wanted some of those for a while because I saw those a few worlds back~!"

"Fai…" Syaoran said in a warning tone.

"No no, it's fine." Yuui said while waving dismissively. "You all are my guests so I would gladly buy anything you want while you're here in this world. My treat." He then got hugged by both Fai and Mokona (who escaped the clutches of the angry ninja) as they thanked him over and over.

Syaoran just sighed with a smile; knowing that it would futile to argue with him. He then heard Kurogane growl behind him and turned his head. He gulped. "What happened to your cheek?"

The ninja tried to wipe the huge kiss mark on his left cheek. "Do you really have to ask?"

"…" Syaoran couldn't argue with that.

* * *

Watanuki was having a good day. He woke up happy, got to work happy and did his job cheerfully. He was a very good mood that day. Ever since spring break started, he felt his heart and soul lifted with relief and happiness and why is that?

Because he didn't have Yuuko to boss him around and Doumeki to constantly insult him on everything.

Since he didn't have any family to visit during spring break, he opted to stay behind and just work part-time at a local fast-food restaurant. Though it wasn't really fast food since it was cooked by him sometimes but he mostly works as a cashier. When everyone left for break he was both happy and sad. Happy because he got some time to himself but sad because he won't get to see any of them for a while; especially with Himawari. The poor boy cried waterfalls as he saw her go.

But he got over it and so far took advantage of the peace that he doesn't get too often. As he waved to another customer who left the place, he sighed; feeling a bit tired.

"Watanuki~!" His boss called out. "Your shift is almost over. Just handle the next customer and you're free to go for the day."

"Thank you!" Watanuki adjusted his apron and put on a professional smile for the next customer. _'Just one more customer and then I can go home and work on my assignments.' _He coughed a bit as something got caught in his throat. As he cleared his throat, he didn't see who came up at the counter.

"Excuse me; I would like to order please."

Watanuki opened his eyes as he chuckled at the person. "Sorry about that, I had something caught in my airway now what would…you….like…" The teen trailed off as he saw who it was in front of him. "Yuui-sensei? Is that you?"

Yuui chuckled. "Yes Watanuki; it's me. I just wanted to get out and enjoy the cool weather. How are you fairing so far?"

The teen smiled as he blushed slightly. "I've been good. I was rather surprised that you stayed behind, sensei. I figured that you would be out of the country like everyone else." He then tapped his finger on the counter. "Of course it's been a bit hard since it's been a while I have gone anywhere nowadays."

"Didn't the Li' brothers invite you to go with them?" Yuui asked. "I talked to Syaoron before they left and said that you turned them down."

Nodding, Watanuki sadly smiled. "Yeah I did. It was nice of them to invite me but it just didn't feel right. Besides, it's been a long since they seen their mom so I'm not going to ruin that for them…I'd just be in the way." He then blinked with he felt a hand on his head. Looking up, he saw Yuui frowning at him; in an almost disapproving manner.

"You're not a burden." The cooking teacher said softly but firmly. "Everyone who knows you would say that in all honesty. It's okay to be modest sometimes but don't ever think that if you weren't here that things would be better because that's not how it works. You're here now with friends; with people who care for you deeply especially a certain stoic teen who is missing being around you like crazy." Yuui finished jokingly.

Blushing deeply, Watanuki scoffed. "That damn Doumeki. Ever since he left, he's been calling and texting me like crazy; asking me 'how are you?', 'you okay?' or 'what are you (_freaking_) cooking right now?'" He sighed. "And he called me desperate for company."

Yuui just laughed softly. "That's just his way of telling you that even if he's not near you; he's always with you."

Watanuki rolled his eyes but had a small smile on his face. "Yeah, yeah. So what do you want to order today?"

The cooking teacher smirked. "Well then I would like…."

* * *

Syaoran couldn't believe it. He just didn't believe it. As he peeked around the corner at the restaurant window was really Watanuki…another version of him to be exact. As much as it was hard to grasp the concept, it was true. And it seems that he has a part-time job in this world too. He then smiled as he saw Watanuki chuckling with Yuui over something. Despite himself, he was just glad that _this _Watanuki was having a good semi-normal life. _'I wonder if he can see spirits just like our friend?' _Then a shadow loomed over him as a giggled was heard over his head.

"Hyuu~!" Fai whispered out loudly. "It seems that through a miracle of sorts, there's another Watanuki here~!" He stood up a bit straighter but still watching the event unfold from the window. He was wearing a black t-shirt from a popular store that sells funny t-shirts. On the front it said in white letters, 'Real Vampires don't sparkle'. There was an incident that happened in another world that led him to get such a shirt.

The boy nodded. "I know…but it just doesn't make sense." He pondered a bit. "When I just made the taboo, Watanuki was created solely as a piece that shouldn't exist so the chances of him having different versions of himself were very close to zero." Then he pointed to the window. "And yet here he is; another version of Watanuki, right in front of our eyes. I want to say that I'm happy for it but I just can't get the reason for it."

"Maybe there isn't one." Kurogane said softly; his arms occupied with a sleeping Mokona. "I think someone somewhere made some wish and this was the result of it."

"But who would make a wish like that?" Fai asked. "Not many people know our Watanuki and even if they did; the price would be very heavy; assuming if it was made and paid for before the witch died."

Kurogane shrugged. "Beats the hell out of me. I'm just throwing that out there because I'm just as fucking confused as the rest of you."

"Well in any event; we should be grateful." Syaoran firmly said. "If there's another version of Watanuki then that would mean that the time-space distortion isn't as grave as it was before but that doesn't mean it's not there."

The two adults look at each other and nodded; agreeing to the boy's words.

"We still have a journey to continue and a goal to meet. If what we see here is the truth, it won't be long until more versions of Watanuki that are born into many worlds in different times. Maybe one of those worlds might be what I painfully search for all this time and the sooner we go there, the sooner I can get back to…._her_." Syaoran's eyes casted down as the memory of his beloved flashed before his eyes.

Fai hugged the boy while Kurogane got one of his hands free and patted him on the head.

It was that moment that Yuui came out of the restaurant with five bags of food; pushing the door with his back and a smile on his face. "Okay Watanuki, I'll see you later!" He closed the door and walked towards the group. "Hey guys, I got the food so I hope…." He stopped as he saw that he walked into a tender moment. _'Ah crud.'_ He cleared his throat; making the guys look over at him. "Um…is this a bad time? Because I can just go back in and wait."

Shaking his head, Syaoran got out of Fai's embrace and sadly smiled. "No it's fine. I just a bit down and they wanted to make me feel better."

Yuui knowingly smiled. "Painful memories?"

Syaoran nodded. "Painful memories."

"I see." Yuui then lifted the bags up. "Then how about we lighten up the mood with food and conversation? There's a park not too far from here so we can just eat and relax if you want."

Bowing a bit, Syaoran smiled. "I would like that. Thank you very much."

Kurogane scoffed. "What did I tell you about bowing, kid?"

Blushing, Syaoran stood back up; feeling embarrassed about it. Old habits die hard, I suppose.

"Aww Kugry~! That wasn't very nice." Fai lightly scolded. "Syaoran was just being polite~! Besides daddies shouldn't teach their sons bad manners like cussing and picking fights. Children are very impressionable these days~!"

Kurogane narrowed his eyes as he glared darkly at the mage. "Who the hell are you calling a dad, wizard?"

"Oh, so you rather be the mom~? Oh how admirable of you~! I always knew you love kids~!"

Yuui and Syaoran quickly got out of there as the heated argument slowly turned to a chase as they could hear screaming coming from the ninja and giddy laughter coming from the mage. It also didn't help matters when Mokona decided to wake up and join in on the chase.

Lunch hour was never normal for Yuui anyway…_unfortunately_. So this didn't surprise him in the least.

* * *

"…I see. So that's why you all were shocked when you saw Watanuki."

Kurogane and Yuui were calmly sitting on the grass, drinking soda. The rest of the group were around the trees; playing tag with Mokona being 'it'. The two actually enjoyed the tranquility of the cool weather and the serene atmosphere. But when the ninja sipped his soda, he stuck his tongue out in slight disgust.

"Damn, who do these people drink this crap?" Kurogane asked. "It's too bubbly and fizzy." He put his drink down and sighed.

Yuui chuckled. "You don't have to drink it if you don't like it but that's what fast-food restaurants normally have." He shrugged as he took a sip. "If it's a problem then I would be happy to buy some tea for you; if you like."

Kurogane huffed as he crossed his arms. "You don't have to do that; I was just stating my opinion. No need to stick out your neck just to please me." He then heard a shout and grinned. "Moron's it."

"Kurogane, I've been meaning to ask you…." Yuui then hesitated. "I want to know how you….and Fai….well….you know?" He felt like he was treading in deep waters when those words started jumbling out of his mouth. Curiosity is a dangerous thing to have.

The ninja raised an eyebrow. "Like what; how the moron and I got together?" When he saw Yuui blushing and nodding, the man smirked. "Well it wasn't love at first sight; that's for damn sure." He picked a fry and popped it into his mouth. "It was more of a what-the-hell-did-I-get-myself-into kind of love." He then saw Yuui frowning a bit. "What? Expecting something more romantic and corny?"

Looking up at the man, Yuui vigorously shook his head. "Oh no, that's not it! It's just that I find it odd that you and Fai would be together too."

"And by that you mean the other Kurogane and Fai, huh?" Kurogane said. "So what does my other version like? I assuming by the lack of shock you had when you saw us yesterday, not that very different from me." He blinked as he got hit with a fry from the calmer blonde. "What?"

"You really are like him." Yuui suddenly said. "Always grumpy but understanding, angry but mature, rude but graceful. How i came to respect either of you is beyond me."

"…I'm not sure if you're complimenting me or insulting me." Kurogane finally said.

Chuckling, Yuui placed his soda down. "No, it's neither." He then sighed. "The Kurogane I know works with me at the Academy. He's the gym teacher there and is also head coach of the kendo club."

"Kendo huh? That _does_ sound like something I would want to do." Kurogane mused.

"He's been at the academy for longer than I had and from what I hear he and my brother were friends longer then they have been together."

"I'm not surprised." Kurogane shrugged. "If your brother, the other Fai was anything like the giggling moron here then I would say having that kind of friendship takes awhile. Ours did." Then he saw Yuui's expression. "He is like that, isn't he?"

Yuui shifted his eyes. "Yes, except a bit more hyper."

Kurogane cursed silently.

Just then the cooking teacher felt a vibration in his back pocket. "Huh." He fished the object out which was a cell phone. "Looks like I got a text message." He looked at Kurogane who was slightly confused. "Oh right; other world. A cell phone is like a phone on-the-go where you can call people wherever and type electronic letters or notes to them. Well the basic ones do anyway."

The ninja nodded. "Right." He had heard of these 'phones' from some other worlds but it's the first time he has ever heard of a 'cell phone'.

Checking his phone, Yuui chuckled. "Oh how sweet."

"What is it?" Kurogane asked.

"It's a text message from one of my students who coincidentally is also my friend. She says 'Hi Yuui-sensei. How are you? I'm having a great time here. My big mean brother wouldn't let go to a local ramen restaurant even though it's just a couple blocks away. Yukito is still with us but he's been a bit tired lately so I try not to pester him. I will be back in just a few days, hope to hear from you and the rest of the gang. See ya'." Yuui chuckled. "That girl is so sweet and such an angel."

"Heh. Sounds like a certain princess I know. Always kind and caring." Kurogane smirked.

Yuui raised an eyebrow. "Princess?"

Before another word was uttered, Kurogane's shoulder was tapped. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Syaoran who had an odd expression on his face. "What?"

Syaoran didn't say anything but pointed over his shoulder.

The two adults looked over and immediately blushed. It was Fai and Mokona making kissing noises at them. Apparently, their time together talking was misinterpreted into something else.

And the giddy idiots are taking advantage of it.

Standing up, Kurogane turned to them. "Call the hospital." He cracked his knuckles as he started walking towards the pair.

Yuui raised an eyebrow. "Why would I call the hospital?" Then he felt a chilling feeling that went down his spine. Suddenly that feeling felt very similar.

Oh, that's why.

Syaoran went over and sat next to Yuui and smiled. "He won't kill them." He then saw Fai and Mokona running away from the angered ninja. "Compared to the first time I've met the man, this actually is more….held-back then before."

"I see. So…_this_ is normal?" Yuui asked; not completely believing the boy's word.

Chuckling, Syaoran nodded. "In a way."

If life was like Syaoran's in any way, Yuui honestly wouldn't mind having it. But he can do it without the migraine if that was any consolation.

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm sorry that I haven't written anything the day before. Just yesterday, I have met the most peculiar yet strangely familiar group of people that literally fell from the sky and hit the ground hard. Thinking that they might be badly injured, I ran towards where they fell so I can help them. However when I can into eye-contact with them, my heart stopped._

_Before my eyes were this group of people that look very much like people I know. A guy who looks a lot like Kurogane, a boy who looks like one of the Li' brothers and a white creature who exactly looks like Mokona. However what really stopped my heart was the fourth member._

_He had blond hair that was tied to a ponytail like mine, had a happy disposition and as he looked at me…he had the same color eyes as mine; sapphire. I was shocked but at the same time was scared. I can tell that this man was not a doppelganger by the way he was staring at me because his face had the same expression as mine; fear and surprise._

_The boy of the group referred himself as 'Syaoran' and the group introduced themselves. As it turns out they had the same names as well. Kurogane, Mokona and Fai. Despite my initial shock, I invited them to stay at my house for a while; considering that they had nowhere else to go. 'Syaoran' didn't want to impose but I convinced him otherwise. _

_While walking with them, 'Syaoran' started explaining what on earth that I just saw. They were traveling and as it also turns out, there are many different worlds out there other than this one and there are different versions of people in each one which made me feel a bit skeptical at first but considering that they fell from the sky with weird clothes and don't know anything about where they are, it wasn't far-fetched._

_But I still have my doubts._

_When we got home, I started cooking dinner and left the group to relax and such. Halfway into making the meal, I overheard some things that they were talking about such as 'Watanuki', 'Yuuko', the Mokonas, 'different versions' and my name. Then I got to thinking about 'Fai'. He looked exactly like me but his personality as very much like brother's. If what they say about different versions of people in each world is true then is he…..?_

_I then thought long and hard about it._

_They're thinking that I'm 'Fai' in this world. But that isn't true, if anything, _he's_ my brother from another world. His fear-stricken face proved it. I told them about it and I almost wish I hadn't. As soon as those words left my mouth, 'Fai' collapsed and 'Kurogane' caught him in time. 'Syaoran' asked how can I be certain._

_How can I be sure? _

_I gave them a half-assed answer but I wasn't so sure myself. But just by looking at 'Fai' I knew that I'm not a different version of him. It was a feeling but it was so strong that I was certain that it was the truth._

_Now I wish it wasn't._

_Dinner was dull to say the least and as I was resting on the couch, I felt a bit bad. I just told off 'Fai' that I wasn't him in this world. The concept was already confusing to me but a part of me already knew that I wasn't. My name has always been Yuui; since the day I was born. I was never Fai and will never be Fai and my brother and I have been together all our lives. Although, I have a feeling that it was not the case for the blonde traveler._

_But I doubt that he would say something about it._

_However I shouldn't pry; we just met after all._

_So I went to sleep feeling bit unease about the whole thing. I didn't mean to hurt him or put distance between us; even though I half-sure it wasn't my fault. I thought that if I just ease him up a bit then I'll get to know him; the same goes for the rest._

_But at that point I know this; with all of my heart and soul…_

_This will be a moment of my life that I will never forget._

_-Yuui_

_

* * *

_**END**

* * *

Diary continues to the present day (first half of this chapter).

Don't feel like repeating it.

Yuui does have a diary and writes in it. And no, the entries will not show in every chapter.

Story's not over yet, have a lot of ideas for it soon.

Stay Tuned~!

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories. ^_^**


	4. Omake

You people can't be _that_ interested in this story. XD What is wrong with you? (LOL)

And i mean what i said in the last chapter; this story has sucked me in!

Now then; does this omake hold any significance? If you want it to. Either way, it doesn't affect the story _greatly_ but a minor thing really. ^_^

Enjoy~!

* * *

**Omake- Welcome to IHO—oh wait…**

**

* * *

**[Takes place in 'A day out' when Syaoran and Kurogane were talking]

Yuui lead Fai into the kitchen with a smile. "Now then, how about we start making the batter for some pancakes?" He saw Fai being slightly surprised at the question.

"Oh." Fai said as he blinked. "We're really not having a contest?"

"Nope." Yuui chuckled. "I was just saying that so you can come with me." His smile then had a tinge of sadness to it. "I wanted to talk to you…in private." He shifted his eyes. "If that's okay."

Frowning a moment, Fai put out a small smile. "No; I don't mind." On the inside though he felt a rush of sadness and fear. He didn't want to face it this soon…but at the same time, he didn't want to offend his-

Fai mentally shook that thought out of his head.

No, that man is not his twin brother. Not in this world anyway. It was impossible from the beginning.

His twin was gone and he would just have to live with it.

* * *

"Wow, you're really good at this." Yuui poured a portion of the batter to the frying pan and picked up a spatula. "I guess you're just a good a cook as I am."

"Aww~! You're too nice~!" Fai happily said as he mixed in some sugar into the batter. It was already been a few minutes and the topic didn't come up. He hoped that it would stay that way. Granted, he was being a bit of a coward about it but there are some things he just didn't feel like talking about.

"So while I flip these pancakes." Yuui's voice dropped an octave. "I want to…apologize."

Fai almost spoiled his share of the batter in shock. "Excuse me?"

Yuui flipped a pancake and sighed. "I didn't mean to make you break down like that. It's just that….this whole…event has gotten me in an emotionally tight spot." He then placed the pancake on top of a plate. "I just couldn't accept the fact that I'm looking at another version of my brother. And I had a huge feeling already that I'm not you in this world. The personalities were just too similar for me to think otherwise plus that smile….." He shook his head. "Anyway, I want to say sorry for making you feel not only uncomfortable but sad as well. I shouldn't have opened my mouth." He closed his eyes as he sighed.

Then he heard the stove being turned off and Fai's footsteps. Was he walking away; feeling just as Yuui expected him to be. No, it was just the opposite. Suddenly, he felt two arms wrapping him into a tight but loving hug. The gesture was so surprising that he opened his eyes in shock. "Uh…Fai? What are you-"

"I'm sorry too."

"…huh?" Yuui dumbly said; trying to grasp the situation.

"I…I mean it's true what you said; about me being so sad and uncomfortable." Fai said in a low voice. "But it wasn't what you said to me about you not being me in this world. It wasn't like that." He pulled away far enough so he and Yuui can see eye-to-eye. "I broke down for a different reason."

Blinking, Yuui frowned. "W-What was it?"

Tears started forming at Fai's eyes. "I had a twin you see….and well…he…we didn't have the best childhood and went it happened….he…." Too many bad memories flooded his mind as the emotions started pouring out. Fai could feel Yuui's hands touching his face, the fingers wiping the tears that fell.

"It's okay…you don't have to say." Yuui softly said. "But I'm guessing that the way you saw me, he was a lot like me before he…" He trailed off; not wanting to say the word to the already sobbing blonde.

Fai shook his head. "I don't even know anymore! We were just kids and…" He whispered loudly. "All I know was when I saw you with my own eyes, I see him in you and I thought-!"

Yuui pressed his forehead onto Fai's, shushing him quietly; as if he can cast the bad thoughts away. He then started humming a lullaby that sounded very familiar to the traveling blonde. There were no words but the tone….that soothing voice….

The blonde mage felt himself being calmed down by the song; even relaxed and strangely happy about it. When his eyes met Yuui's they both had a smile on their faces. He tilted his head up; feeling better much better than he did in a while. "Thank you." He said softly. "I needed that."

Smiling in a loving manner, Yuui dropped his hands from Fai's face. "There's no need to thank me. We were both sorry about what we did or say but I guess it was harder for you than me." He then patted Fai on the shoulder. "I know that we just met and that there are many things that you may or may not want to tell me. However there's no need to keep it all inside. If you feel sad then show it. If you're happy; let people know you're happy because when you do, people wouldn't think less of you; in fact they might even be glad that you did."

Rubbing his eyes, Fai looked at Yuui. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Then Yuui went to the bowl of batter and plucked his finger into it. "As a friend of mine would say….life isn't fun…but…." He took the finger out and flicked the batter onto Fai's face; making the mage squeak in shock as his upper face was now dotted with a sticky mixture. "It's up to you to make it fun; because you only have one life. So why not make a fool out of yourself once in a while and make the best of it?" He smirked playfully.

For a moment, Fai could only stand there as the batter started dripping down his nose. Then those words slowly sink in. In all of his life, he never thought of it that way. Yuui's certainly not the first person to tell him that living is worthwhile but when he said it like that…

It shed some new light to his recently resurrected inner-self.

With his mouth twitching upwards, Fai went over to his share of batter. "Hey Yuui?"

Yuui blinked. "Yeah?"

"THINK FAST!"

Suddenly, Yuui's whole face was covered in batter. Hearing Fai sniggering, he wiped the mixture off his eyes so he can properly glare at the joker.

Covering his hand, Fai's eyes held happiness and joy. "Well you started it. So it's only fair that I'd be the one who finishes it~!" He stood as proudly as he could. In such a long time, he felt so loose and free. Yuui was the blade that pierced the last thread of despair that was his past.

And he was glad for it.

Seeing Fai's face show complete happiness made Yuui want to smile too. Well…if his face wasn't covered in goo, he would. He then he did something that he never have done since childhood.

He ran to the mage and pounced on him.

As the two wrestled, the goo that was on them started to smear on their clothes. Their bodies rolled to one of the counters and hit the wood very hard. Unfortunately, it was the one that had sugar on top of it, thanks to the brutal force, the sugar bag violently shook and tipped over; spilling its contents on the blondes but they paid no mind.

They were having fun and they were happy.

The rift that was created was slowly vanishing and brought the two closer than one could imagine.

In that single moment, they could just laugh and have fun; paying to attention to the world outside of them and they wished it could last forever.

But it would be nice if they _did_ pay attention to their surroundings a bit. Then they would have noticed a very happy Mokona giggling away as she enjoyed the scene right in front of her.

A meal and _a show_; what a nice way to start the morning.

* * *

**END**

* * *

Off-Topic: My family went to IHOP in freaking 1:30am after coming home from a party (which would have gone longer but the DJ there overheated his equipment and...you get the rest). We had some pancake and you know that ball of butter on the top? Yeah, my sister thought it was ice-cream and almost swallowed it whole..._almost_. She gagged for a few seconds. XD

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until next time~! ^_^  
**


	5. A Boy with a Dream

_Thankfully_ this isn't one of the stories that _hasn't_ had an error. (Really, what's wrong with this website?)

Ugh...though i really don't like how this chapter turned out but you guys can be the judges of that. ^_^

Also an author named _AeroTundra_ has made a fic in response to my Horitsuba fics called **"Cast Comments: Records of horitsuba style!" **I was so flattered that she would do out of her way to do it. And yes, i gave her permission to use my stories. Have a read and tell her if you like it or not and give her helpful hints. (Seriously, i must be doing something right so someone to put a lot of effort to write a response fic XD)

_Anime rants_**:** I have watched _Highschool of the dead _dubbed. Apparently it as licensed by some company (I know it wasn't FUNimation) and three episodes are out on the websites. In response to it i have one thing to say: **Don't watch it. EVER**. I'm not kidding. The dub is _so bad_. I couldn't watch more then ten mins of it; it was _that_ bad. For those who got hooked to the series and love it. I beg of you, for the sake of your love of anime: **DON'T WATCH IT!** Also, I heard of this anime called _Maria+Holic_. If there are those who have watched this anime; should i give it a go? Even if i want to, it'll be a long time before i can. But i want some opinions on it first so i need to know if it's worth it or now. Thank you~!

Unto the fic~!

* * *

**Warning: Drama and language **

**Disclaimer: Don't own them; never will**

**Enjoy~!  
**

* * *

**A boy with a dream**

**

* * *

**"Yuui…"

"..mn…"

"Um…Yuui?"

"Mnph…"

"Yuui?"

"Agh…go away; sleepy."

Syaoran sighed. It was very early Tuesday morning in the Fluorite home. Between when the group arrived to now, the bond between friends has been growing. Yuui was just the type of person to not only ease any tension but to talk to when someone needed him the most. However, in addition to that, the boy also learned Yuui's…._flaws_ personality-wise.

Such as not being much of a morning person.

Granted, it was about three in the morning; not exactly the time for the cooking teacher to wake up happy and about but Syaoran wouldn't have bothered him if it wasn't important. It started as a random thought in his head which grew to deep pondering which eventually led to practically obsessing over it. When he couldn't handle that thought anymore, he went straight to Yuui; hoping he would have the answer.

However it was much easier said than done.

Sighing, Syaoran stood up and started walking back to the bedroom. In retrospect, he shouldn't be going around the house as if it was his own and pulling Yuui down with his own problems. He was a guest after. However when he passed the kitchen, the phone rang. Raising an eyebrow, Syaoran glanced at the couch to see if Yuui would wake up.

No such luck.

Shrugging the boy went into the kitchen and hesitantly picked up the phone. Not sure what he was really doing, he place the phone up to his ear. "….Hello….?" For a few seconds, there wasn't any sound coming from the other end. Confused, Syaoran thought that he should just hang up the phone as quietly and politely as possible. Then on the other end of the phone, there was a sound; almost like someone was quietly breathing on the phone. Figuring that this person was up at night too, Syaoran tried answering again. "Um…Is th—"

_Click._

And that was the end of it.

Looking at the phone with confusion and a slight curiosity, Syaoran carefully hang up the phone. "Well that was weird. Did the person realized I wasn't who they thought I was or is it the fear of calling someone in the middle of the night getting to them." He then yawned as the sleepiness and fatigue was getting to him.

"Syaoran…"

The boy whipped his head and then sighed at who he saw. "Oh…it's you Fai." He placed a hand on his chest as he sighed in relief. "Please don't sneak up on me like that. I almost got a heart attack."

Fai chuckled quietly as the big t-shirt was wrapping quite loosely on his figure; exposing part of his left shoulder. His hair wasn't in his usual ponytail so was draped upon his shoulder and the upper most part of his chest. If anyone were to see him in such a state, they would mistake him as a girl…not that it matter either way. "I'm sorry Syao. I just got up to get something to drink and well…." He glanced at the phone.

Syaoran followed his eyes and nodded. "So I guess then you now know."

"More or less." Fai smiled. "And our _lovely_ host here isn't a very _happy_ person in the morning." His smile turned into a smirk. "Poor Kurgs had to learn it the hard way." He then crossed his arms. "Though coffee stains are a pain to get rid of on pants…especially in the-"

Coughing awkwardly with a red face, Syaoran shifted his eyes. "I'm sure they are but shouldn't you be getting something to drink?"

Snapping his fingers, Fai grinned. "Of course~! I am a bit thirsty." He then went over to the fridge and opened the door. "Now let's see…" He took out a carton. "How about two glasses of warm milk and a talk on why dear Syaoran is up this early~?"

Syaoran stared at the mage dumbfounded. "Wait, how did you—"

Fai shook the milk carton with a sad smile. "The walls in this house are not as thick as one would hope it would be."

Frowning deeply, Syaoran sighed. "Fine but this time…please don't sneak any alcohol in it. I want to at least keep a clear head if I'm talking to you."

"Syaoran~! I told you, it was an accident~! I swear~!"

"Tell that to Tomoyo and the video blogs of me in a pink tutu."

* * *

"So…what's on your mind, Syaoran?" Fai drank his fourth glass of warm milk; amazingly still wide awake as his smile hasn't lessened or faltered. It was almost an hour later but neither of the two said a word; just drinking milk and enjoying the silence. The mage knew that whatever Syaoran will say won't be easy for him so he just waited patiently; just like a mother would for her child.

Halfway in his third glass, Syaoran sighed. "Remember those pictures; the ones we saw on the day we came into this house?" When the mage nodded, he looked down at his glass. "Well one of them had a person that looked like me and I got to thinking….what's the boy's family like? I mean, I see him smiling and being so joyful but I can only imagine the worst case scenarios for his past…kinda like…." He braved a glance at his 'mother' before looking back into his milk.

Softly smiling, Fai nodded. "So you're worried about this world's Syaoran huh?" He sadly glanced at the couch as Yuui's mop of hair was seen. "I'm sure he can tell you when the time comes but I'm sure he'll only say what he knows from others." He then frowned a bit. "Even I could only imagine what this world's Fai and Yuui's childhood would be like. But I get the feeling he won't say a word about it; not to me anyway."

"I wouldn't say that." Syaoran argued. "Yuui doesn't seem like the kind of person who would let his past; no matter how bad or empty run his life. Sure, he would seem lonely from time to time but he's only human; the heart and body will always remember the pain even if the mind forgets but it takes great courage and determination to go pass that and find happiness. So if you just ask but don't pry too much into it, I'm sure he'll open up."

Fai blinked at Syaoran's words before covering his mouth to keep himself from laughing loudly. "Since when did you become so smart, Syaoran? And since when you know so much about our host in such a short time~?"

Syaoran smiled in return. "Since always. That and the fact that Kurogane's been talking to Yuui for the last couple of days. They seem to be very close friends."

"I have no doubt about that." Fai stated. "Two people who knew about suffering and pain but know how to deal with it. A fairly common ground in that kind of friendship, I'd say."

The boy chuckled as he finished his glass. "Well, I'll be sure to talk about this world's version of me to Yuui later….I really should have known better then to try to wake a non-morning person up." He joked lightly.

Fai nodded. "I'll be heading to bed too. I think I left Kuro-puppy alone long enough." He stood up and put the glasses away. As he glanced up from the sink, he saw that Syaoran was leaning on the doorway. "Syaoran…is there something wrong?"

"….Are you….going to tell Yuui about….you know….who you really are?" Syaoran said hesitantly. For the last few days, the boy has seen the blondes becoming the best friends as the initial rift between them faded away; however a few things were stuck in the middle; making the friendship a little bittersweet. The last thing he'd want to see was for either or in any case, both blondes broken and sad.

The mage looked at the young boy without any sign of emotion. Then slowly but surely, a smile reached the blonde's lips. "I will…eventually. This isn't something that I can just day outright about. Besides, why ruin a good thing so soon?"

Syaoran frowned at the words but nodded. "Right. Oh and Fai?"

"Yes?" Fai had thrown the carton of milk into the trashcan; making a mental note to tell Yuui about it later.

"You…are a wonderful mother…." Syaoran finally said; looking grateful at the wizard. "And I'm glad to be your…son and be part of this…family." He blushed slightly at the words that were coming out of his mouth. "I'm sorry that I never got to say it before so…."

Feeling his heart burst a little with happiness, Fai went to the boy and hugged him as tightly as he could. "Oh Syaoran…" He softly said. "That means a lot coming from you and I'm happy that you still love me as any son should for a mother. I have a great son after all along with a cute wonderful daughter, sweet Mokona and a very loving daddy for cares for all of us. The perfect family." Fai gently ruffled the boy's hair. "I couldn't ask for anything else. Thank you…for everything."

Smiling, Syaoran leaned into Fai's embrace. Moments like this don't come by often and when they do; he wouldn't trade it for the world. He closed his eyes as his 'mother' started humming a lullaby. He sighed in content. "No problem."

* * *

Kurogane glanced at the pair from the edge of the hallway. He was wondering where the mage went off to but as he heard voices coming from the kitchen, he (with his ninja ways) listened quietly to the conversation. He slightly blushed as he heard the mage mentioning him as the 'loving father' of the family. As much as he hated to admit it, he was rather fond of the little makeshift family that he grew accustomed to.

The good, the bad, and the awkward moments of their time together. Something that the ninja had experienced long ago.

Slightly smirking to himself, Kurogane started walking back to the bedroom. However before he could take the first step, something was blocking his way. He blinked as he recognized who it was…unfortunately. "Pork bun…" He said with a bit of surprise in his tone. "What the hell are you doing up so late?"

Mokona rubbed her eyes with her tiny paws as she yawned. "Syaoran never came back to bed…and I got lonely…" The tone of her voice wasn't the usual cheeriness that the ninja would normally hear. Even sleepy, she would still have a smile on her. But not tonight.

And that _bothered_ the man.

Heavily sighing with irritation, Kurogane went down and picked up the white creature. "Look…how about you join the mage and me to bed; just for tonight?" Kurogane said with indifference…or at least trying to sound indifferent. "I was getting bored with the quiet anyway. It wouldn't be the same without you annoying the hell out of me. So how about it?"

It took only three seconds for Mokona to blink, smile and then viciously hug Kurogane face with all of her might. "Oh Kurgy~! You are so sweet~! Thank you, thank you, _thank you_~!" She couldn't believe her ears. She couldn't remember the last time Kurogane willfully let her sleep with him and Fai in bed like a mother and father would for their child. She was happy beyond belief.

After a minute of letting the white cream puff hugging his face, Kurogane reached out grabbed her and gently ripped her away from his head. "Yeah, yeah. So do you want to or not?"

The creature nodded happily. "Ah-huh~!"

With a grunt, Kurogane cradled Mokona in his arms and started walking back to the bedroom. "You will _not_ speak a word to _anyone_ about this. If the mage asks; lie. The last thing I want is for him to pester me about being soft; got it?"

Mokona sleepily nodded. "Okay…" Then she was off to dreamland.

Kurogane was glad that the hallway was dark that the porkbun was asleep as toothy grin spread across his face. "You're just damn lucky you're cute."

* * *

'_No milk.'_ Yuui mentally groaned. _'There's not milk in the fridge.' _He closed the door and sighed as he leaned on the shiny object. It was nine in the morning and Yuui woke up feeling a bit optimistic; wanting no more then to just get cereal for breakfast. Too bad for him, the milk was gone, crushing any hope that he held for the day. "I guess I could make some eggs instead. I wonder if the group would like omelets for breakfast." He opened the fridge again as he took a carton of eggs and went to the stove.

As he started pouring the eggs onto the pan, Yuui heard a yawn. He turned around to see Fai rubbing his eyes and tiredly smiling at him. He smiled back. "Well good morning, sleepy head. Did you sleep well last night?"

Fai chuckled. "As well as I have in a long time." He then stretched as he groaned. "So what's cooking? It smells great~!"

"Omelets." Yuui simply answered as he turned his attention back to the stove. "Do you like meat in yours?"

The mage chuckled. "Oh no. That's more of Kuro's type of omelet. But a cheese one would be nice." He then took a stool and sat near the cooking blonde. "For Syaoran, he likes plain while Mokona would like anything; the cute thing isn't picky with food."

Nodding, Yuui went to the fridge and took out a bag of shredded cheese. "Speaking of food, we ran out of milk this morning. I'll have to go to the grocery store to not only buy that but other food for all of us this week." He then blinked as he heard Fai softly giggling in the background.

"About that…" The mage started. "Syaoran and I were up earlier this morning and practically drank all of the milk." He smiled apologetically. "I was going to tell you that eventually. I just didn't think you would bring it up so quickly."

Finding himself chuckling, Yuui grinned. "Ah. Well as long as you told me, that's fine. So what did you guys do while drinking the whole carton of milk?"

"Oh you know; this and that Mostly about our travels and our opinions about this world." Fai half-lied. If Yuui wanted to know what was really talked about between him and Syaoran; he would have to hear it from the boy. "I have to say though; you are really evil when you are up in the morning."

Yuui frowned at the statement. "I'm just not a morning-person. And that's only if I'm up too early or rudely awakened. Plus what happened the other day was just the drowsiness and the low blood sugar talking." He then raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I already apologized to Kurogane about the coffee incident."

Fai laughed as he waved it off. "Oh don't worry about that; Kuro-chan has already forgiven you. He now knows better than to approach you when you're 'not yourself'." He crunches his fingers in the air to quote the last two words.

"Speaking of, could you wake Kurogane and the others up? Breakfast is almost ready." Yuui said as he went to the cabinets; taking out some plates.

"Oh, Kuro-rin's already up." Fai said with a smile. "He's just doing some exercises outside in your backyard. He likes to train daily to keep up his strength."

Yuui blinked. "…Really?" He then rubbed his head. "That would explain why he would come to the kitchen looking all sweaty…but how did he go outside without making a sound? The floor creaks." What Yuui didn't know about himself was that he got used to the noise made by the floor so it never bothered him.

Fai smirked. "Well he isn't called a ninja for nothing."

As if on cue…

"Oi mage; what are you blabbing on about now?"

The two blondes looked over and saw Kurogane on the doorway of the kitchen. He was wearing a tight black shirt which showed the outline of his muscles with black gloves and tight jeans with a skull belt-buckle. His hair was a bit wet so a few hairs were sticking out as he face glistened in the light.

It took only a minute for Fai to realize that Yuui was subconsciously staring at his lover with awe and…fan-girl-like admiration. He blinked before smirking playfully; deciding to tease the blonde a bit. "Yuui~! Are you staring down at my man~?"

Yuui blinked out of his stupor before his mind caught up on what just happened. Then his face turned bright red in embarrassment. He squeaked as he turned his head. "Oh my god; I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" He covered his face in shame. "I-It'll never happen again!" _'God almighty, what am i doing?'_

Kurogane raised an eyebrow at Yuui's unusual behavior before glancing at Fai who was smirking like a Cheshire cat. He frowned as his mind clicked. "Wizard, stop messing with the poor guy. He has enough trouble without you freaking pestering him." He stretched his arms; flexing his muscles a bit.

Unfortunately, at that moment Yuui looked back as saw that bit. He squeaked louder as he saw Kurogane's fitted form stretching like that. He loudly groaned as he tried to finish the rest of the omelets; hoping it would distract him.

However, Fai won't let him go _that_ easily.

"Ah, but look at him Kurgy~!" Fai pouted playfully. "It's _so obvious _that he was undressing you with his eyes~!" He winked at the ninja; letting him know that he was playing.

As if the ninja didn't realize that before.

"But who would blame him~?" Fai continued. "You're everything that most people desire. You're tall, dark and handsome~!" He then smirked darkly. "You're fit, muscular, dead sexy but most of all, you have the biggest, thickest and most luscious d-" He never got to finish his statement as an omelet flew and hit him square in the face.

Kurogane held back a smirk of his own as he glanced as Yuui who obviously was the culprit behind it; plus the plate in his hand gave it away.

"_There. Breakfast is served._" Yuui gritted his teeth with raw enjoyment. "_I'll go wake up the rest of the gang. Enjoy_." And with that the blonde left the room; humming as he went.

The ninja saw the host going down the hallway before looking back at Fai who was picking the omelet with his hands while trying to eat it. "I _really_ hope it was worth it; you jackass."

Picking up a big piece of his cheese omelet, Fai popped it in his mouth; chewing and swallowing it before smiling happily at the warrior. "Oh it was Kurgs. It was _well worth it_."

* * *

"Let's see…" Syaoran mused. "We need some milk, eggs, some meat…and what else?" He curiously looked up at Yuui who was walking with him down an aisle in a local grocery store. After breakfast, the boy volunteered to go with Yuui to do some shopping while the rest stayed behind to do some house chores. In his head, it was the perfect opportunity to ask Yuui what was on his mind; he just hoped the shopping lasts long enough to ask.

Yuui glanced over at the boy with a small smile. "Well, I need some flour, sugar and anything else I'll probably remember later."

Syaoran nodded. As he glanced at the items, his eyes caught a certain one. He picked it up and made a quick look-over. It was small, kind of thin…and really colorful. "Um Yuui…what is it?"

The blonde glanced at the boy and grinned as he saw what he was holding. "That's called 'Pocky' Syaoran." He held back a laugh as the boy raise an eyebrow and looked at the box thoroughly. "You've been to many worlds. Don't tell me you haven't eaten one before."

The boy snapped his head up at the host. "You _eat_ them?"

That made Yuui laugh; very loudly as a couple other people at the aisle with them stared in shock. "Of course you do! The box wouldn't be on the sweets section if they weren't made for consumption."

Syaoran looked at Yuui then at the box. His hands were shaking and he gulped. "Well, we….never seen such a treat so…compact before….it's really…amazing."

Yuui sighed dramatically but had a teasing smile. He saw that look before from a certain brother. Despite it being it a bit different, he knew what the boy wanted. Swiftly, he took the box from Syaoran's hands and threw it in the cart. He then walked down the aisle without a word.

The boy looked at Yuui's retreating back with wide eyes. "What the-wait Yuui-"

"Come on Syaoran." Yuui called out. "We still have a lot of things to buy if we ever want to food for the week~!"

Blinking, Syaoran slowly had a smile before running and catching up to the blonde.

* * *

Breaking off a stick, Syaoran ate his fourth stick of 'Pocky'. "Thanks again, Yuui." After buying the groceries, the pair decided to take a break and went to the park with the bags in tow. They sat on the bench with the bags at their feet.

Yuui smiled. He got a box of 'Pocky' as well…the strawberry kind. "It's no problem. I sometimes forget what it feels like to be young again."

Pausing mid-bite, Syaoran looked up at the blonde with awe. "Pardon for asking…but exactly how old _are _you?"

Placing a finger on his lips, Yuui smiled mysteriously. "That's a secret." He then took another stick and broke it in half with his teeth.

'_He's just like Fai….he wouldn't tell me his age.' _"Well, what _was_ your childhood like; if I may ask." Syaoran was rather curious about Yuui and what his life was like since he arrived in this world. Then maybe it might shed some light on the man and also relief for Fai who was curious about him as well.

Though the mage was more worried than curious.

Leaning back on the bench, Yuui sighed. He looked up at the sky. "Well, it started as far as I can remember. There was just our small family. A mother, a father, an older sister, and lastly twins; Fai and me." He smiled up to the clouds. "We were born and lived in a country called France. It's in a continent called Europe." He quickly clarified. "We were such a happy family. A mother who loves and cares, a father who protects and works, and an older sister who looks over us when they couldn't. Life was simple back then."

"And what's your relationship with Fai?" Syaoran asked.

"Well with Fai it was different." Yuui answered. "Having a twin was like having a good brother and an annoying friend at the same time." He then frowned. "However that also meant that he's the only friend I had."

"What do you mean by that?"

Yuui didn't say anything at first but then closed his eyes. "When a child goes to school for the first time….he would shy away at first before warming up to others. But it wasn't the case for us." He laced his finger together. "When we first started school, we didn't talk to anyone but ourselves; just him and me against the whole world. It was…scary but at the same time pretty nice."

Syaoran can understand that. "So what happened?"

"Well at first we just talk to each other. It was like we were in our own little world and no one can get in." Yuui chuckled darkly. "We talk, play, and even do work together. Mother and father were kinda worried about us but it wasn't like we were getting into trouble or anything so school went by okay for us." He then opened his eyes. "As for everything else, our childhood was pretty okay up to when we were fifteen. We eventually did talk to others and hang out, play games and go to birthday parties but we never actually made friends. Acquaintances yes but not friends."

"Wow, so you and _Fai_ had a pretty decent life." Syaoran commented happily. But then he saw a dark look on the blonde. He frowned in concern. "Yuui?"

Blinking, Yuui looked over at Syaoran and smiled. "Sorry, i was remembering something important." Before the boy can say a word, the blonde's smile turned into teasing grin. "However i couldn't help but feel that you had a reason for asking me; otherwise you wouldn't."

Gulping, Syaoran closed his eyes. "You're right." He took another stick and nibbled on it. "There is a reason; actually two but I can't say the second one."

Yuui knowingly smiled. "Okay then. What's the first reason?"

Syaoran looked around before breaking another stick with his fingers. "What's Syaoran like in this world?" He played with the broken half of the 'Pocky' stick. "I know that through the pictures that you have and what i can gather that he's student in that academy you work at so i was wondering...if you can tell me what's he like in this world."

"Oh...now i see." Yuui nodded. "Well, to be honest I don't know much about the Syaoran myself but i can tell you what i have heard from others." He tossed his empty box of 'Pocky' into a nearby trashcan. "The Syaoran in this world is a very kind soul." He chuckled. "He's good-mannered, nice, selfless, and is a hero; figuratively speaking." He then covered his mouth as a series of giggles started coming out. "However there are times that the boy will be oblivious like one time i have heard from my brother that when he was new to Japan, he didn't get the significance of Valentine's day and because _Fai _and Yuuko giving him false information, he actually believed it and ended up embarrassing himself. He's too serious for his own good."

The boy next to him blushed in dismay. It looked like the Syaoran in this world was like him in both appearance and personality. He wasn't sure if he should be grateful or ashamed.

"But he is a great kid." Yuui continued. "He always thinks of others and puts their needs before his own. Sometimes it was a problem but for the most part it was nice to see." Then the blonde sighed. "Thankfully, his brother came into the picture, making life easier for the both of them. I still couldn't he was the one who helped me." He mused. He then jumped as Syaoran suddenly stood up. "Hey, what's up?"

"His brother?" Syaoran asked in shock. " The Syaoran here has a brother?"

Yuui blinked. "Um...yeah...an older twin actually."

Slowly realizing his actions, Syaoran slowly sat back down with a faint blush on his face. "O-oh. Um...What's his twin like then?" That bit of information was a bit surprising. His other version had a twin brother. It was odd because in other worlds, the Syaorans he saw were an only child. He kinda knew why but for this one to have a twin...it was...he didn't know how to say it. It was beyond comprehension.

Smiling softly, Yuui nodded. "Well that i know personally. It was when i was visiting a place called Hong Kong about a year or two before coming to Japan.(**1**) I was there for vacation and i ended up in a cafe/ restaurant in the city. There i met a young man who later became my friend. However how he found me on the internet was beyond me." He grinned. "As it turned out, he had a twin brother who was at the academy. He helped me make a choice of wanted to work there or not. I don't know how i can repay him." He then sighed happily. "Ever since i have worked in the academy, i have seen the boy and who he was. He wasn't as serious as his brother but had an aura of maturity that could rival an adult. He is very protective for others, and he could tell it like it is. Unlike Syaoran -no offense-, he doesn't beat it around the bush. A fine student and a good friend. I couldn't imagine life without him."

Syaoran felt his heart melt a bit. The boy's twin was really something. "So, this twin...what was his name?"

Yuui whistled a tune before smiling. "His name is _Syaoron_."

"..._Syaoron_?" The boy asked. "That's...unexpected."

Laughing loudly, Yuui stood up and grabbed his share of the groceries. "Believe me, if you meet the Li' Brothers, you would be shocked but amused at the same time."

"Their last names is Li?"

"Oh yeah, they are Chinese after all."

"And what are the Chinese?"

"Oh...right; I keep forgetting you're not from here." Yuui rubbed his head. "Ethnicity's a different in your world huh?"

Syaoran shrugged but smiled nonetheless. "Up until now, ethnicity didn't hold that much interest for me. Besides it shouldn't hold back anyone from making friends."

* * *

The pair went back to the house with groceries in tow. However as they entered the home, they were met with silence.

Confused, Yuui went to the kitchen. Syaoran followed.

"Hello? Anyone home?" The blonde placed the bags on the counter. "Kurogane, Mokona, Fai? _Anyone_?" No one answered. He sighed. "Where could they have gone? There not a lot of places they can go without anyone not recognizing them. If they are seen, then that would create some problems and I'll be caught in the middle."

"I wouldn't worry about them." Syaoran said reassuringly. "Kurogane and Fai are not so oblivious that they would go out in the open. They might disguise themselves and keep Mokona hidden. If they _do_ get caught, at the very least Kurogane would use his ninja training and escape before anyone would even blink." He placed his share of the bags next to the other ones. "So...what happens now?"

Sighing deeply, Yuui placed his hands on his hips. "Well i guess we could make a meal for them when they come back." He rolled up his sleeves. "Time to get my hands dirty." He grinned at the boy. "Want to help?"

Rolling up his own sleeves, Syaoran grinned. "Gladly."

* * *

"I'm not a normal person."

Yuui stopped chopping some vegetables. "I'm sorry?"

Syaoran chuckled as he drained the noddles. "I mean...I have experienced many things; things that you may not understand or even imagine." He looked around. "Where's the tomato sauce?"

"Upper shelf." Yuui answered. "If that's the case Syaoran...do you want to talk about? If you don't want to; that's fine. There are problems that people rather not talk about and that's fine...as long as it's not hurting them inside." He dumped the vegetables into a strainer on top of a pot with boiling water.

The boy closed his eyes for a few moments before sighing. "I just wanted to go back...to her. I worked so hard and suffered so much just so she can be safe. And even after all we all have been through...we still became separated." He mixed the noddles with the sauce. "I made many mistakes; some more heinous then others. But i did everything just so she can live...and be happy." He turned off the stove. "Fai...Kurogane...and even Mokona didn't blame me for what happened. And even after it was all over i still have to make a choice; a price i had to pay. And what's worse is that I'm not the only one who was at a tight spot."

Yuui silently listened to every word Syaoran had to say. He knew that the boy wouldn't give out _all_ the details of what happened to him before appearing in this world but for him to confess so much made him want to pity the boy. Then he frowned. "Sounds like your life was a major hell from beginning to end. But you're still hurting and..." He then turned off the stove with had the vegetables. "Do you regret anything that you have ever done? Do you wish that if you made this instead of that, it end result would have been better?"

Shaking his head, Syaoran pressed his lips into a thin line. "No. I don't regret what i have done. It's over...and I'm ready to move o-OWW!" He rubbed his head as a hand whacked him upside. He looked over at Yuui in surprise only yo see him frowning deeply at him.

"You idiot." Yuui seethed. "I may not know everything about you or what kind of life you have led but i can tell when someone hasn't been true to their word and you're one of them. If anything; you're using that heroic excuse to hide what you;re really feeling about your damned ordeal and it's eating you up inside."

To say that Syaoran was dumbfounded was an understatement. "But...but I have moved forward from my mistakes-"

"Well that's great and all but has it made you feel any better about what had happened? Does it make you feel any happier about it now then before?" Yuui argued. "Did you even try to talk about it with your gang at all about this?" His eyes softened as Syaoran started to tear up.

"N-No." Syaoran hesitantly said. "I mean i have talk to them about what happened before it was over but i thought if i just told them that, it'll take a huge weight off my shoulders...but the more i think about afterwards the feeling and the weight just pushed me back down." He wiped some tears from his left eye. "I never mean for it to end like it did. Those three had people they cared for and no matter what they said, i still felt like _I_ was responsible for their suffering in addition to..." He took deep breaths.

Yuui came forward slowly and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders. "In addition to..."

"...In addition to...the person i care for." Syaoran said quietly. "She suffered the most...and i was supposed to protect her from the beginning. Even then i failed." He shook his head vigorously as he looked up at the blonde. "If you were in my shoes...would you do something different? Would you have make other choices or walked another path?" By then, tears were running down his face.

"I-I don't know." Yuui whispered. "But what i do know is that you can't move on like this. You have to just talk to your friends about this. The first step to healing is to admit that you have an issue and it's hurting you inside. No good would come if you handle this by yourself; not in this state." He then hugged the boy softly. "You need to let go of the past...all of it. You also need to realize that there are people who will be with you through thick and thin. You have great friends...a family...and a girl who's just waiting to see you again. Not to cross the line but...i don't think she would want to see you like this. Am i right?"

That was the blade that snapped the string.

Syaoran started sobbing as he held onto Yuui like a lifeline. All the emotions, all the pain, all the suffering flooded out in tears. The boy felt everything fly away as he felt Yuui's hand rubbing his back in comfort. He never had someone question about what he has done with his (not-so-ordinary) life. He thought that he should just stay strong and keep the painful memories inside in a box; knowing full well that it may not protect him emotionally and mentally. Yuui was the first person to let him just cry it all out and not to judge him about it. There's a kind of strength to cry and the strength not to cry.

However, he now knew that he didn't cry at all; who knows how it turned out if he broke down along the road.

As Syaoran's sobbing quieted a bit, he then noticed that Yuui's shirt was very damp from all the crying he had done. He blushed slightly. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

Yuui shook his head with a small smile. "Are you okay now?"

The boy nodded a bit. "Kind of. I just never knew how many tears i held back; my whole life i held back everything, emotions, the past and most of all my mistakes and in turn they held me back." He then chuckled with a sad smile on his face. "It's pathetic, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't say that." Yuui softly said. "But maybe in the future you would learn that letting go can help you and that while crying won't fix your problems, it can -for a moment- get everything out and make you feel a bit better. Don't forget...you're not alone; alright?"

Syaoran nodded as his smile widened. "Yes. Thank you."

"No problem." Yuui let go of the boy and patted his head. "Now, lets finish with the meal before the gang comes back~!"

Laughing, Syaoran mockingly saluted. "Yes sir~!" And his heart felt lighter then before.

* * *

"Hyuu~! We're back~!"

Yuui walked out of the kitchen and saw the trio arriving. He saw that they were wearing casual clothing and had a bag with them. He then assumed it was what they hid Mokona in.

Kurogane frowned as he closed the front door. "Damn it Yuui, don't you ever lock your door? A pervert or a psychopath could've walked in easily and end your life."

The cooking teacher smiled. "Yeah Kurogane. I'm that desperate for attention that i would let a pervert or a psycho walked into my house and have their way with me." He then chuckled as Kurogane gave him a shocked look. "I'm kidding! I knew you guys didn't have a key to this house and i knew that if i didn't return, you three would've stayed around the front door. Besides, Syaoran was here with me so i felt safe. Right Syaoran?"

Poking his head out of the kitchen, Syaoran raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh nothing, nothing." Yuui laughed.

Mokona poked out of the bag as Fai sat on the couch; snickering at Kuro'e expense. "Mommy, daddy and i were at a store called 'Seven-ten' and got something to snack on~!" She hopped onto the couch next to the mage. "Then we went to the park where we all to a nap. Kuro and Fai were snuggling to each other like two lovey dovey bir-!" Her mouth then was covered by a big hand.

"For god's sake." Kurogane muttered with a blush. "Why do you make my life a living hell for me?"

Fai laughed. "Oh come on Kurgs, it's not secret anymore. No need to feel embarrassed." He then turned to Yuui and Syaoran with a smile. "So tell me, what happened with you two while we were gone?"

Syaoran and Yuui exchanged a look before smiling.

"Oh nothing really." Yuui said. "A day with a good friend can being out a lot in you."

* * *

**END**

* * *

*Sighs* Finally~! Hopefully FF would fix the freaking errors now.

(**1**)- Reference to _Leia de flourite's _**December baby: Yuui and the boy**. Give her the credit she deserves~! XD

_Next Chapter: A ninja with honor_

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
**


	6. A ninja with honor

Something _must_ be wrong with me because i _really_ don't like how this chapter went. I hoped it would be better. Ugh.

BTW- The sequel to 'Anything but simple' is out called 'It's worth it'. Funny title i know but believe me; i had a migraine trying to figure this one out.

Enjoy~!

* * *

**A ninja with Honor**

* * *

_Thrust_

_Thrust_

_Thrust_

Kurogane grunted as he tightened the handle of his sword. He narrowed his eyes and he resumed his workout. Ever since the final battle, the man has taken up working and mastering his sword techniques once again. However it was more of a luxury then a necessity as something was hindering him.

His mechanical arm.

_Thrust_

_Thrust_

_Thrust_

It wasn't that he regretted the things he had done. In fact, he would do it all over again if he could. At first, he was against having that contraption of a limb when the group was recovering from their fight in Seresu. Of course he would be the one who came to his home world worse off. After all, he _did_ cut off his own left arm in exchange for Fai in order for everyone else to leave in one piece. However upon retrospect, he knew that he couldn't fight if he only _one_ arm; it would have thrown off his fighting on a grand scale besides he didn't have time to get used to it even if he refused the arm.

For they had one more person to face off.

And the victory was bittersweet at best.

_Thrust_

_Thrust_

_CLINK_

"Damnit." Kurogane muttered. He knelled down and placed the sword next to him. He flexed the robotic fingers before moving his shoulder that the arm was connected to in a rotation. He winced. One of the wires must have caught onto a piece of skin or something. He groaned. Looks like the workout would be cut short for the day. He glanced up at the sky as the sun started to come up over the horizon.

He couldn't remember a time when he would just sit back and enjoy the tranquility of the morning. In fact, he couldn't remember a time when he wasn't a ninja in debt to the princess, or a warrior who did everything he could to protect the people he cared about. The life he lived so long ago is a mere memory to him now and not a day goes by that he wanted to experience it again.

"_Mother~!"_

_A loving family_

"_Father~! Welcome home!"_

_Comfort_

"_I want to be stronger. Strong enough who I can protect the people I care about!"_

_A promise_

"_Mother….."_

_Love_

"_I'll protect you mother; no matter what. Don't you worry."_

_**Blood**_

"_Mother, you're hurt….you need help…"_

_**Death**_

"_Mother please!"_

_**Emptiness**_

"…_mother_…."

_**Loneliness **_

"_Please….please…"_

_**Hopelessness **_

"_No…."_

_**Anger**_

"_No!"_

**Darkness**

"_MOTHER!"_

A hand gently touched his shoulder; snapping the ninja out of his thoughts. Kurogane looked up to see his lover smiling back at him. He raised an eyebrow. "Was there something you needed or you that desperate for attention this early in the morning?"

Fai chuckled a bit as he sat down next to the warrior. "I was just resting; just thinking where my big dog was wondering to once again." He then leaned over and touched the fake arm lightly which earned a wince from his lover. He lightly frowned. "It's bothering you again; isn't it?"

Pressing his lips into a thin line, Kurogane patted the arm. "Not anymore then when we're at Piffle world. It's not a big deal." He closed his eyes as he felt a cool breeze brush his face. Suddenly he felt his left ear being tugged. Opening one of his eyes, he saw Fai slightly glaring at back at him. "What?"

Letting go of the ear, Fai sighed. "Kuro, what is the point of giving people advice if you can't take them for your own?" He then smiled slightly. "You have always told me that lying will get me nowhere, which it'll hurt more than help." He then leaned his face forward until his and Kurogane's face were a few centimeters apart. "So please tell me the truth; that arm…is it hurting you?"

"…." Kurogane figured that Fai had a point. That was the pot calling the kettle black. But he just didn't want Fai to feel any guilt in relevance to that mechanical arm. It was his decision to cut off his arm; to save the mage from obliteration. And them the mage thanked him by paying the price with his remaining magic at the time for that arm. He was grateful for it and he didn't want that arm to cause more problems with the two. However, he _was_ going back on his own word. He sighed. "Maybe a little…."

_*WHACK*_

Kurogane held his head as he groaned in pain. He really should have seen that coming. "Damn it. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Fai huffed in annoyance. "Honestly Kurgs." He then smiled lovingly as he placed a kiss on Kurogane head; where he hit. "Now that's out of the way; how about we both take a nice hot shower and I gave you a message afterwards. That'll help you with the pain. During that we'll have a nice lone talk about how it isn't nice to lie to mommy when daddy's in pain but won't say anything."

Looking at the magician, the ninja couldn't help but let out a small smile. "Fine, fine. You win…you freaking maniac." He picked up his sword and stood up. "I'm done for the day anyway."

"Sure you are, Kuro-rin." Fai chuckled. "Now let's get to that shower~!" He took Kurogane's mechanical arm and started dragging the ninja back into the house.

The warrior let the mage drag him. He knew that fighting it would be pointless and that arm would hurt him further. He wasn't stupid; just a bit stubborn.

"Mage, slow the hell down! I can't keep up with your ridiculous pace! Just let go! Mage!"

Maybe a bit _too_ stubborn.

* * *

"So Kurogane is still asleep?" Yuui was making some waffles that morning. He was mixing the batter while listening to classical music on the radio. He just loved classical music; it sooths him and make him feel a bit better around the daytime. He doesn't get to sit and enjoy it often so he was grateful for it.

Fai nodded. "Yep. Poor thing too." He was sitting with Syaoran and Mokona around the kitchen counter as they were waiting to eat those things called 'waffles'. It will be the first time they get to eat a 'waffle'. "Ever since we arrived here, Kuro-sama has been working with his sword and be at the top of his game. So today I decided that he should relax and not worry about training for a bit."

Briefly stopping the stirring, Yuui cleared his throat. _'That would explain all those sounds I heard coming from both the bathroom and….my bedroom.' _ He glanced over his shoulder to see Syaoran's face red as a tomato and Mokona giggling like an idiot. _'Just how often do they….express their love physically when they think no one could hear them?' _ "That's very nice of you." Yuui said politely.

Syaoran nodded in agreement as he let out a yawn.

The mage smiled. "Thanks. But in all seriousness, I am rather worried for him." He placed a hand on the side of his face as a frown soon took place. "Ever since we started traveling again, Kurgs has been…preoccupied about something."

Yuui glanced over at Fai. "What do you mean by that? I've had conversations with the man and he doesn't seem like the type to just….let his mind wonder."

"You'd be surprised." Fai softly muttered. "I just think that Kuro's doing all of that to distract himself." He then sighed. "I even wondered if he even notices how distant he looks whenever he thinks I'm not with him."

"…" The other three didn't say a word. Apparently to Yuui; this was a new problem entirely and no one had any idea how to deal with it. From what he can gather, Kurogane's a very down-to-earth kind of guy. He's stern, honest and….frankly to say, he's scary when provoked. But as Yuui can see from Fai's face, there was a side to the man that he's just not getting. Granted, he only known the man for less than a week; but still….

After a few minutes, Yuui brought a plate of waffles with a bottle of syrup to the group. "How about some breakfast to fill those stomachs up?"

Fai and Mokona cheered while Syaoran smiled gratefully.

Yuui took three waffles and poured a little syrup on them. He took a bite and pondered over the situation with the 'ninja'. It's painfully obvious that the man doesn't like talking about his past (as he gathered from talking to him and what he can see from the rest of the group) even though he doesn't seem like the type of person whose past would run him….but does he even try to talk about it? He doubt the man ever did.

Syaoran glanced over at Yuui and frowned in concern. "Um…Yuui? Are you okay? You look like you're spacing out."

The cooking teacher blinked before smiling. "Oh, sorry." He waved the concern off. "I was just thinking." He then got an idea. He glanced over at Fai. "Say….Bro-uh Fai?"

Having a mouthful of waffles, Fai innocently looked up with chipmunk cheeks. "Whpmmph?"

Holding back his laughter, Yuui instead smiled. "I have a few free meal tickets to a ramen shop. Would you three like to go?"

* * *

[Some hours later]

Kurogane groaned as he slowly opened his eyes to the dimmed room. He looked to the side of the bed. The mage wasn't there and the curtains were drawn so that could explain why he wasn't blinded by the sun. He assumed it was either late morning or the afternoon. Rubbing his head, he slowly got up.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"Hey Kurogane." A soft but firm voice was heard from the other side of the door. "Are you awake now?"

Rolling his eyes, Kurogane let out a small smile. "I am now. Is the mage with you?" For some reason, whenever he talked to Yuui, he can calm down; knowing that it was refreshing to hear a voice of reason and sanity…not that he'll admit it to the blonde.

"Sorry but no." Yuui answered. "The rest of the gang's out so it's just you and me for today." A pause of silence. "Is there anything you want to eat; I can cook up something for you."

"Anything's good; just don't give me anything sweet. You now know that I don't like that crap." Kurogane responded. He then got up as he heard Yuui giving the 'ok' and heard him walking down the hallway. He then stretched his arms before getting a shirt to cover the mechanical limb. He still haven't told Yuui about it and now wasn't so sure if he'll tell him at all. Fishing out a deep red sweater, he wore it and a pair of jeans.

Then there was another knock.

"Um…Kurogane?" Yuui shyly called out.

"What?" The ninja responded. "Did something happen?"

"Well…."

* * *

"That _freaking_ idiot." Kurogane muttered out.

Yuui nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I figured."

The cooking teacher was about to cook something for the man when he opened the fridge door. But upon looking he found out….that the food had suddenly disappeared. It was very odd considering that he just bought _more_ food just a couple of days ago and with Syaoran no less. What _was_ there was a single note with barely legible handwriting which Yuui saw that Kurogane immediately recognized.

_Hey Yuui~!_

_I bet you're wondering why the refrigerator's so empty. Well, Fai thought it'd be nice if you just take a day off from cooking for all of us. So on my own, I swallowed the real fridge and spit out a fake one that has nothing in it. But the freezer, there's cheesecake. I hope Kuro-puu doesn't destroy your house before we come back. That would be a big no-no._

_Have fun~!_

_-Mokona_

Kurogane took the note and tore it apart completely. "That pork bun has gone too far this time." He glanced at Yuui who had a look of awe stuck on his face. "I'm guessing the mage never told you what the cream puff can really do right?"

Yuui opened his mouth before just closing it right away. He then just placed a hand on his face as he groaned. When the gang returns, he'll have a talk with the _mage_ and the _pork bun_.

"Figures." Kurogane stated. "I guess the real problem would be what the hell are we going to eat now." He knew that he shouldn't depend on Yuui on _all_ of the meals and the cooking. But the man has little to no experience in that area. Even during travels, the mage would be in charge in that department. As skilled as he was in swordsmanship, he can only go so far when it comes to a simple meal.

Shaking his head, Yuui frowned before going to one of the cabinets. "I guess there's no other option." He pulled out a piece of folded paper. "And I plainly refuse to shop for more food at this rate."

"…What's the option?" Kurogane asked as he raised an eyebrow. Then his chest was lightly tapped by the folded paper as his eyes met Yuui's.

"We're getting take-out."

* * *

Kurogane patiently waited in the living room on the couch as Yuui made the call to order some food from some restaurant. He crossed his arms as he looked out the window. His eyes softened at the scene. "Spring time, huh?" He quietly muttered. The flowers on the trees, the birds chirping in the sky, and families walking through the sidewalk as happily as they went.

_Family_

The word wasn't as foreign on his tongue now than before. Before, the thought of even having a family seem like an impossible dream. As a child….no…barely a teenager, his perfect life was destroyed right before his eyes and almost lost himself in the process. Thanks to Tomoyo, he found a reason to move on…but even then he lost the meaning for what true strength is.

_That's when I was dragged away to go on a journey._

At first, he wanted nothing to do with the kid and his mission to save the princess. But as time went on and after traveling from world to world, he knew that it wasn't the truth. As much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, he actually _wanted_ to help and he _wanted _to get to know them as people. Of course it was easier said then done when the mage was included in that category.

_The fake smiles, the false emotions, the cover-ups, his damn mask. I hated it; I hated it with every fiber of my being. And yet…_

Before he knew it, he fell in love with the very person he tried to hate but couldn't. It wasn't long after that the mage felt the same way. However as close as they became the first time around, Fai tried very hard to distant himself from the ninja. Of course, that attempt failed every time and as a result, bit by bit, Kurogane was starting to see the real person behind the mask.

Then came Tokyo.

_The mage lost his eye. He was dying. I couldn't accept that. I wanted to save him. I made a choice. I knew he would hate me. I knew he would distant himself further from me. I knew that he would never forgive me. But I didn't care._

_All I wanted was for him to live._

_And realize how much he actually meant to me._

The choice was made and the price was made. However it was all too late. The pair along with the rest of the 'family' was broken with little hope of repair. And as expected, the mage (well _vampire _at the time) made no effort to get close to him again. He even said his name correctly. That was the shard that broke the man's heart. However, Kurogane wouldn't him the satisfaction. He would be there for him, to comfort him, to hold him. Even after what happened in Infinity, he never got close to really hating him. Angry yes, but nowhere close to hate.

Then they ventured to the land of Seresu.

_This is what you didn't want us to see; what you didn't want _me_ to see. The broken child, the unhappy magician, the empty shell of a man. But you were wrong. You have gotten stronger in my eyes. You're not weak, you're not vile, you're not a monster._

_If anyone was a monster…._

…_.It was me._

Defeating Ashura, Fai's so-called guardian proved to be a difficult feat. However they succeeded but with a price. Kurogane as it turned out couldn't hate Fai for hiding his past. Not when the mage had a really good reason to. But that man, he just the worst kind of person he had ever had to face. Trying to make Fai kill him to 'escape' from the torture. He scowled at the memory. The man may be strong in magic but he was already dead inside. Something that he refused to see in Fai or witness him killing the man who despite it all took care of him so that's why….

_I had the sword in my hand. The 'curse' protected me from his blasts. He had Fai's throat in his hand. I had to choose. I had to do something. It was either him or us. Time was running out. Fai's life was on the line. The kid wasn't holding out much longer._

_So I charged._

_I screamed._

_Then…._

_The next thing I knew…the king had fallen and my blade was covered in blood._

He knew that taking that man's life will have consequences; something that he never thought about before. Both with Fai and with himself. However he had no time to dwell on that as the castle and apparently the world itself was crumbling into oblivion. Fai freed Syaoran who held Sakura's lifeless body and Mokona but when it came down to the pair…he didn't have enough magic. Even with Mokona's earring; it wasn't enough. Fai made a choice.

And so did he.

_After that, things just went smoothly between us. Fai stopped with the fake smiles and my heart was lighter then it was before. But of course, the moment was bittersweet as we left the country of Japan to Clow and fought that asshole._

_In a way we won _and_ lost._

When it was known that another journey was beginning, he realized that he and Fai had to make a decision and that the family will be separated once again. But at least he can say that it was no longer broken. So he went, going from world to world to help the kid with his new goal and spend time with the one he loves. A small happy family.

"Family….heh." Kurogane chuckled to himself. "If only my mother and father can see me now…how proud they would be for me." His eyes landed on a kid outside who was looking at a flower before picking it up and showing it to the parents.

They smiled.

He smiled.

He wondered if Fai would like to have kids someday. A ridiculous thought but he can dream. Besides, he doubted that the mage would oppose to the idea.

Now if only he can just get rid of the porkbun first.

* * *

"Yes, thank you." Yuui hanged up with a frustrated sigh. "If I only known that Fuuma would be stealing the phone and taking orders as if he _actually_ worked there, I would have called a different place." He had spent several minutes on the phone with that man. Fuuma was conveniently there for a while for his own food so when everyone else was too busy taking orders, he stepped in and helped…though 'help' wasn't the right word.

It was more like 'irritated the hell out of him'. How Kamui can stand to be with that guy was beyond him.

He walked out of the kitchen shaking his head and went to the living room. Upon entering, he immediately got a glance of he saw before him. It was Kurogane but he looked different. There was an expression spread across his face. It was solemn and almost nostalgic; as if he was reliving his life in his mind and judging by that smile….

Yuui tipped over silently pass Kurogane and to small table where the pictures are. At the bottom there was a slim box that has nothing written on it. He took it out and grinned. He knew now how ease the ninja into talking about what's been bothering him. He looked up and saw that Kurogane didn't even notice that he was here. _'So he _does _let his mind wonder when he thinks no one's there.' _ Reaching out he touched Kurogane gently on the shoulder.

The ninja stiffened at the contact and turned his head. Only to see an amused expression looking right back at him. He blinked in confusion at first but then realization and reality caught up with him. His face slightly blushed as he looked away. "Oh god, did I just….?"

The cooking teacher chuckled. "Looks like Fai was right. You do let your mind wonder." He then softly smiled. "You actually looked older when you're in the zone."

Scowling, Kurogane closed his eyes. "So…when are we getting something to eat?"

Knowing that the ninja wanted to change the subject, Yuui let it pass for now. "I just got off the phone with them. They should be here in about forty-five minutes." He then showed Kurogane a plain white box. "So to pass the time I think a distraction is in order."

"What distraction?" Kurogane wryly asked.

Opening the lid, Yuui grinned up at the man. "The distraction of games."

Kurogane stared in disbelief. "….Checkers?"

* * *

"I win again." Yuui stated proudly. "That's….the third game I have won so far right~?" It was about fifteen minutes in when the two started playing. At the first game he went easy on Kurogane making him the victor of the first game. But then got scolded a bit from the man for letting him win so he gave it his all. That didn't go well either.

Kurogane held back his anger and just sighed. "Shut up. Let's play again. I will beat you this time." He knew that he was just being a bit of a sore loser but practice makes perfect. Plus he wanted to show Fai how much he learned playing this damn game when he gets back.

Putting his hands high in surrender, Yuui grinned. "Fine, fine; whatever you say. But this time, I'll be black and you'll be red."

"Fine." Kurogane huffed.

Chuckling, Yuui started placing the black chips and red chips accordingly. As he did, he closed his eyes in thought. "So Kurogane…do you have childhood like a normal person or am I to assume that you just came out of nowhere looking like that?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kurogane frowned. "What kind a dumbass question is that? Of course I had a freaking childhood!" He then looked down at the broad. "You first."

"Fine." Yuui then placed the black chip on a square. "Care to talk about it? It'll pass the time much faster." He smiled. "Your move."

Kurogane moved a red chip. "Why? There's nothing much to say about it. I was a kid and now I'm not. Your move."

"Right." Yuui moved another black chip. "Really? I find that hard to believe. I mean people talk about their childhood all the time. It's not that big of a secret. Your move."

The ninja moved another red chip. "So? That doesn't mean I got something to hide. Your move."

"I never say that." Yuui said calmly. "I'm just saying that just talking about your childhood might let out some emotions that you may not know you have." He placed another black chip on a square and smiled. "Your move."

"…" Kurogane narrowed his eyes. Hesitantly, he gets another red chip and grinned. "Checkmate."

Clapping his hands, Yuui grinned. "Congratulations, Kurogane. You've beaten me fair and square." He then started cleaning up the broad. "Now to get this in order—" He was stopped short as a hand touched his. He looked up with slightly questionable eyes.

"I….Thanks." Kurogane shyly said. He then shifted his eyes. "I couldn't remember a time when I just stopped and enjoyed the moment, you know?"

Smiling softly, Yuui nodded. "I can understand that. Life can go so fast that you just want it to pause it and just relax. I know that when my parents were gone, I couldn't remember a time when I wasn't bombarded by life and its games. It was very difficult for brother and sister too."

"You know…you never really talk about your childhood when we're talking." Kurogane said with a soft tone.

Yuui chuckled. "Well you never asked." He then placed a lid on the box and placed it next to him. "I was born in a small but loving family. Along with my twin brother, I had a mother, a father and an older sister. We lived in a cottage in a village that was just outside Paris, France. The weather was perfect, the scenery was incredible and life was just perfect."

Hearing Yuui starting talking about his childhood, Kurogane let out a smile. "So you were basically spoiled rotten too?"

Raising an eyebrow, Yuui blinked. "I'm guessing that's what you were like?" He seized the opportunity. He didn't want to force Kurogane into saying something that he didn't want to so he instead wanted to ease the man into talking when he's most calm. "I bet you were a stubborn little kid huh?"

Kurogane let out a chuckle. "Hell yeah, I was. As far as I can remember, I was a trouble-maker. I would climb trees, go swimming in the river and draw on my father's face when he's asleep. Of course I get punished after but it was worth it." He smirked. "My life as a kid…was just…perfect. I didn't have any brothers or sisters so it was just me, my mother and my father. A very small family but I didn't care…I was happy."

Yuui nodded. "Yeah, things were just simpler when you're young. When life starts out great it seemed that nothing can bring you down…of course, fate always had other plans." He ended in a darker tone. "Like…."

"Like what?" Kurogane asked.

The blonde's eyes glossed over with sadness as the memory came. "Like that time."

"_I'll get it~!"_

"It was late one night when we were fifteen. Our parents went out and we were just getting to bed when the phone rang. That's when it happened."

"_Brother! Brother, hey! What's going on?"_

"Brother came downstairs to answer it. It was a while before I got worried so I came down as well. When I saw him he was in tears. I was very confused, so I tried asking him. But he was shaken with fear.

"_Y-Yuui…"_

"_What? Where's mom and dad?"_

"_T-They…"_

"He tried to tell me but I was getting impatient. I wanted to know right then and there."

"_They what, Fai? Please tell me. What happened?"_

"That's when cruel, cold fate promptly kicked us in the face."

"_..They're dead…"_

"I was shocked."

"…_.What?"_

"I couldn't move. I couldn't say anything."

"_Mom and dad…they're gone…and they're never coming back!"_

"My world started to crumble. Our perfect, happy life was sinking into the depths of despair…and I couldn't accept that. I hope it was a joke…some sort of prank. But it wasn't…and it changed me."

"…_..No."_

"_Yuui, please."_

"_No! _

"_Yuui!"_

"_SHUT UP!"_

Yuui then sighed. "My anger and my sadness melted together that I snapped and charged after my brother. That's what he told me anyway." He rubbed his head. "To be honest, I kinda blacked out. When I came to, I had my hands around brother's neck; wanting to choke the life out of him. That's when I saw tears coming out of his eyes. I….the anger slowly disappeared and was replaced with regret and misery. But what was worse was that…."

"…You almost killed your brother." Kurogane finished quietly.

The blonde nodded. "Even though _I_ was the one who hurt him and _I_ was the one who was at fault…he had the nerve to apologize as if _he_ caused our parents' death." He then rubbed his eyes. "I let go of my brother's neck and cried; cried like I never had before….and he hugged me back…crying alongside me." He shook his head in grief. "After that our older sister heard the news and went to check up on us. After that it was a blur…not that it mattered after all."

Kurogane frowned. He let the information of his host sink in. He then sighed. "I was thirteen when fate bitch-slapped me in the face." He started; making Yuui look up at him in surprise. "My mother…she was sick. Father…was too busy fighting; protecting our land. I was practicing to become stronger. One night, they were gone and I snapped. My mother…killed in front of me and my father….his body gone as the damn beast held his dissembled arm which held the sword. It was too much too damn fast."

"So you snapped too." Yuui said. He felt a bit down about revealing more then necessary to the ninja. However he felt that he was trust the man; despite not knowing a lot about him. "And then what happened?"

"When I came to, my left hand was stabbed and a princess was standing in front of me. She told me that I should lay my mother to rest. So….I broke down and then…I passed out. After that, I vowed to become stronger so I won't lose anyone dear to me. Guess I fucked that up for a while too." Kurogane huffed.

"….That…that just sucks a lot." Yuui uncharacteristically said. "I'm guessing that with a past like that, it's hard to talk about it, huh?"

"Nah." Kurogane responded. "It was irrelevant. I know that I had a crappy life from then on, but I wouldn't let it run me. Besides, it doesn't matter to me. What happened; happened. I tried to drill that into the mage's head. And the kid saw my past at some point but I told him that just because he knew about doesn't mean he should carry my wounds. I may not be completely healed….but I'm not broken. I'm strong and I proved it. End of story."

Yuui blinked before sighing in content. "You're a very admirable man, Kurogane. Makes me wonder why I couldn't be half the person you are." He then stood up. "Though; I think you're just being a bit arrogant on not wanting to talk about your childhood to the others." He picked up the box and walked to the small table to place it back. "While you're right about not letting your past run your life; you just didn't want to talk about because no matter what was happened, you're still in pain."

"The hell are you talking about?" Kurogane angrily said. "I sucked it up and out the past behind me! I live in the present and look forward to the future. I'm beyond my crappy childhood and I just spilled my guts about it to you of all people!" Was Yuui mocking him; trying to tell him that he wasn't living up to what he had worked so hard to be? Who does he think he is?

For a few seconds Yuui didn't say a word. Then he turned his head and glared at the man. "Does Fai know?"

That question threw the man off guard. "What?"

"If what you said is true then how come you never told Fai about it?" Yuui argued back. "He's worried about you, Kurogane. You say that the past is behind you but I've doubt you ever try to talk about to him because you'd just brush it off; saying that it doesn't matter! But guess what; it does matter! You wouldn't be who you are without that! If that never happened, you would have never known the meaning of true strength, you never would have met a lot of people who became great friends and most of all, you never would have met Fai!"

"I-!" What Yuui said to him really stunned him. Kurogane growled; knowing that he was right. Even though he wished his past was a happier one; he knew that changing it wouldn't help matters. He never tried to talk about his past with Fai. He never thought of it ever happening. He felt like a hypocrite. Here he was, saying that Fai never got over his past when he himself wasn't any better. For the first time, he felt like crying for being an idiot.

"I don't know what went on with you two before you came here." Yuui softly said. "But I get the feeling that the two of you are more alike then you realized. Sure you have become a better person as a result but remember…you're not the only one who suffered. He wanted to know the boy before he became the one he grew to love. He'd love to hear that, you know?"

With his eyes softening, Kurogane could only nod. "You're right. Damn you." He chuckled bitterly. "I guess I'm not any better than he is on that department. I saw it for god's sake. I saw it with my own eyes and yet I won't let him in on mine. God, I'm such an idiot."

Smiling, Yuui walked over to the ninja and place a hand over the man's shoulder. "You're not an idiot. You just wanted what's best for everyone; looking out for others and protecting. But at the same time you should let them help you as well. Your pride and honor as a ninja and as a person won't be damaged. You're human; don't forget that. You have needs and you have your own problems…but you don't have to fight it alone anymore. You have a family after all."

_A family…huh?_

Looking up at Yuui, Kurogane toothily grinned. "You just love helping people, don't you?" He then huffed. "What about you? Who's helping you with your problems?"

Yuui grinned back at him. "I think you know the answer to that." He then winced a bit as a fist landed gently on his head. "Was that really necessary?"

"Hpmf." But there was a serene smile on the ninja's face.

There was knock on the front door.

"Whoa, was it forty-five minutes already?" Yuui glanced at his wrist-watch. "That was sure quick." He left Kurogane in the living room and went to the front door. He opened the door. "Hey there how much do I owe….." He trailed off. He frowned. "Fuuma….what the hell are you doing?"

The person in question laughed. "Delivering take-out. What else am I doing?" He held out a couple bags. "That'll be $29.50~! Plus tip~!"

That was the first time Yuui really wanted to punch someone in the face.

* * *

[An hour later]

"Who's your older sister?"

Yuui looked up from his orange chicken. "Hmm?"

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "I mean, the other sibling. You keep mentioning about an older sister but you never say what her name was. For all I know she may be an imaginary person that you made up."

Sighing, Yuui put down his fork. "My older sister is real thank you." He said sarcastically. "She's older then us by five years. She now lives in England with her husband and helps at a book store that he works at. The last I have heard from her was about a few months ago. They're having their first child."

Nodding, Kurogane sighed. "And her name?"

"Her name…" Yuui started. "Was Chi Fluorite." He saw Kurogane stiffened a bit. He blinked. "What's wrong?" He then held his hand out before Kurogane had the chance to open his mouth. "Wait no; never mind. I'll just assume that you all knew another version of her. I just don't want to have a headache while eating."

Shrugging, Kurogane went back to his food. "Fine. But what I was going to say was that the mage might have something to do with that and it's not my place to say. Geez, calm down."

As the two finished their meals, Yuui thought about what Kurogane said. What would _Fai_ have to do with it? Of course it might mean that he knew another version of his older sister, Chi. However the way Kurogane reacted to the name itself, he could only assumed that it isn't a very good experience. He sighed. Great; more complications. So he just grinned at the ninja.

"So…what are you going to do when the others return?"

* * *

"We're back~!"

Yuui looked up from his book and smiled at the gang. "Ah, so you all finally returned. How was the ramen shop? Good food, I hope?"

Syaoran nodded as he sat next to the man. "Yes; the food was great and the service was excellent. Thank you again for those free meal tickets."

"No problem." Yuui happily replied. "I figured you guys should get use to the traditional Japanese restaurants here." He then chuckled nervously chuckled. "That and my brother had made a reputation there that refrain me from ever going back there again." He paled at the memory. All that beer….ugh.

Laughing, Fai placed the bag on the floor (which Mokona popped out of) and placed his hands on his hips. "I wondered why that man was smiling at me so weirdly." He then looked around. "So where's Kuro-puu~? I thought he'd be with you."

"Oh he was." Yuui said. "But he decided to hang out in the bedroom. He was full from the _take-out_ we ate. He's not the person to eat junk food that's for sure." He slightly glared at Mokona who just whistled.

"Oh really~?" Fai asked. "Then I'll just go and play with him~!" He declared as he walked out of the room and down the hallway.

Syaoran then turned to Yuui with a knowing smile. "Did everything go okay?"

"I think Kurogane made some progress." Yuui replied. "He's a noble man after all." He then glanced at Mokona. "However there's one more issue I would like to _discuss_, if you don't mind."

Mokona who was next to the bag, smiled brightly. "And what's that~?"

Syaoran placed a hand on his face while Yuui darkly smirked.

"Could you please explain to me why it was really necessary to swallow the _entire_ refrigerator?"

* * *

"Kurgy?" Fai knocked on the door. "Kurgy, are you there?" He was standing in front of the bedroom door. He waited for an answer but none came. He sighed; figuring that the ninja was asleep. He started walking away when the door opened and an arm reached out and grabbed the mage.

"What the-!" Before he could blink, Fai was pulled into the room was pushed to the bed. He looked up and saw Kurogane looming over him; trapping him from escaping. Gulping, he smiled nervously. "Uh…hey Kuro-sama….what's with the loo—mmmphf!" The next thing he knew was that Kurogane's lips were touching his. His eyes widened at the sudden action but he felt the man's tongue brushing over his lips; wanting….

The mage opened his mouth; letting the man's tongue caress his mouth as he wrapped his arms around Kurogane's neck; deepening the kiss. Before long, they separated; both panting from the lack of oxygen.

Finding his breath first, Fai softly laughed. "I wonder what I did to make big dog so feisty. Did you miss me that much~?"

Kurogane, finding his breath, sighed. "I'm….I'm sorry."

Blinking in surprise, Fai sat up; pushing Kurogane up with him; placing both hands on the man's shoulders. "Sorry? Sorry about what?"

"…Everything." Kurogane hesitantly said. "I know that…you didn't have the easiest life what with Valeria, you being a twin, being a pawn for that damn asshole and all. You never wanted to tell us about your past and I should have been okay with that. Because…the truth is that I didn't want to talk about my past either. Even though I wanted nothing more than to just put it behind me." He rubbed his head. "I'm not a big a man if I can't just talk about it with….the others and not feel insecure about it. I'm not completely over it and I don't think I'll ever will so…..sorry."

For a moment, Fai's face was unreadable at best. Then a wide grin spread across his face as he leaned up and laced a soft kiss on the man's forehead. "Oh Kuro, in my eyes you were never any less of the man I have always loved. I knew that you would be a bit too stubborn to admit that you still have issues with your past. I was just worried for you and now I think what we both thought was right didn't help matters." He then laid his head on Kurogane's metal shoulder. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I just don't want to lose anyone anymore. So please….don't feel like you have to protect us all the time….we'll be there for you just like you have been there for us; okay?"

Chuckling, Kurogane hugged Fai tightly in his arms. "Funny…Yuui almost said the exact same thing."

"Really?" Fai said. "Yuui said that?"

"Yeah. He was trying to get me to open up a bit and he….succeeded."

"Oh, I see. I guess I should thank him then." Fai smiled before he was kissed softly on the lips.

"Later." Kurogane grunted. "Right now, we have some talking to do….though I know I won't like it."

Fai laughed as he patted Kurogane on the head. "Oh you're so modest, Kuro-rin~!"

"That's _not_ my name!" The person in question roared out.

"Oh~? Then how about big dog then~? I always like that nickname~!"

"_No_!"

Despite everything, Kurogane was glad that he got to talk to Yuui. He couldn't imagine what it would happen if he kept it all inside. He supposed that as a 'father' he should set an example and crap. He was in short…happy.

And he was glad for that.

But he'll tell Fai that _after_ he pounce the living daylights out of him.

* * *

[A couple hours later]

"Hey Fai…"

The mage turned his body over as he faced the ninja. "What's up, Kuro?"

"There's something I need to tell you."

Seeing the grim look on the ninja's face, Fai sat up. "What is it? Go on you can tell me." He smiled reassuringly.

Kurogane didn't say anything at first; worried about how Fai will react. But he was never told _not_ to say anything to the mage so it was okay…right? He sighed.

"It's about Yuui."

Fai's eyes opened in shock. "What….?"

* * *

**END**

* * *

**Whole point of chapter: **Trying to get Kurogane to just talk about his past with _someone_. He is a stronger person now then he was before but i thought he was being too stubborn at actually talk about his childhood and junk. It wouldn't be easy but it's better then keeping it all locked up like it was some dirty secret. He's only human after all.

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories. **

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
**


	7. Omake 2

I FINALLY UPDATED A STORY! WOOT! I'M SO HAPPY! XD

I'm sorry. I had a bit of a writer's block lately. Actually...more like a writer's _brick wall_.

But I'm back and will try to update sooner.

Enjoy~! ^_^

* * *

**Omake: Have a piece of cake!**

* * *

"Forget it."

"Kurogane…"

"No."

"Come on; be reasonable. Just a bite."

"For the last time, there is _no_ way that I'm eating _that_."

Yuui sighed as he placed a cheesecake that was in the _empty_ refrigerator on the counter. After getting over his initial shock of a certain _Mokona_ leaving a note that told what defied every piece of logic and scientific law that he had learned through education, he took out the cheesecake that was indeed in the freezer. Upon inspection, it was a really perfectly-made dessert. In his years of culinary skills he never thought of making this dessert.

As the blonde was searching for a knife to cut, Kurogane eyed the dessert skeptically. "I'm still not eating that." He stated. "For all we know that little cream puff put some weird-ass potion in there and we'll turn into animals or something."

The blonde looked over his shoulder at the man with a raised eyebrow. "It seems to me that you don't trust Mokona that much. That or you're just paranoid." He joked lightly at the last statement.

Kurogane turned his head and glared at Yuui. "I'm _not_ being paranoid. If you had traveled with that little ball of destruction for god knows how long, you'd be freaking careful too!"

Rolling his eyes, Yuui made his way back to the dessert. "Right, right. So do you want a piece?"

"I said no ten times already." Kurogane instead answered. "Why the hell would I change my answer now?"

Sighing, Yuui started cutting the dessert into six pieces. He looked up at Kurogane who was crossed his arms and glancing anywhere but the sweet treat. A small amused grin spread across his face. He placed the knife on the counter. "So Kurogane…..I have a question."

Turning his head, the ninja gave the blonde his attention. "Yeah? What is it?"

"I was wondering….what made you so opposed to sweets? They're just sweets." Yuui asked with a smile. "I mean, never in my life that I would meet a _strong _person such as yourself and be _so withdrawn_ like a stubborn little kid. Kinda sad, honestly." His smile became a grin as Kurogane's frown deepened. "I mean, one piece of cake wouldn't kill you….that is…if you're man enough to actually try it."

"…." Kurogane didn't say anything at first. Then slowly, a smirk of his own reached his face. "Not enough of a man huh? That's rich coming from a puny blonde like you."

"…Excuse me?" The smile was dropped and instead a frown as placed upon Yuui's face. "I might have some hearing problems or something because I thought I heard you call me _puny_." He wasn't sure if he crossed the line on the Kuro map but the man was itching to cross his.

Kurogane smirked. "You heard me. A _puny_ blonde like _you_."

With his eyebrow twitching, Yuui angrily grinned. "Oh really? If I'm a puny blonde then you must be a hairy, reeking gorilla."

It was the ninja's turn to drop a smirk as an annoyed look soon reached his face. "What did you call me?"

"Oh, so now _you're_ the one becoming deaf." Yuui darkly smirked. "Pity though what with Fai having to put up with you and your _brutality_. Poor thing; deprived of the love and care he so desperately needed. Oh dear me~! What cruel fate he has been given; to be with a _brute_ like you~!"

"At least I'm stronger then some whiny little kid!"Kurogane growled as his glare burned into the blonde. However it seemed that it had no effect as said blonde was glaring back at him.

The two stared at each other for what seemed like hours.

Then slowly but surely, their lips started to twitch upwards. Soon soft chuckling and snickering was heard. Then before anyone knew what was happening, the pair burst out laughing. Yuui was tearing up while Kurogane held his sides; trying and failing to quiet down.

After a few moments, Yuui started calming down; wiping the tears out of his face. "W-Wow….I can't believe we did that!"

Straightening up, Kurogane shook his head with a smile. "I can. Though I got to say…" He smirked. "You have balls. Only a few people can handle that; the idiot mage included."

"Well you kinda forgot one thing," Yuui waved it off. "I'm friends with a certain someone who's just like you." He smirked. "Ever since the first day, I was intimidated by his….standoffish attitude. I was even worried about brother being around him. But as time goes on; I saw the real man behind the frown and was happy when they finally got together…." His eyes soon were clouded with nostalgia. "To see brother smile like that make me happy for him."

Kurogane saw that look and lightly frowned. "You really care for your twin, huh?"

Nodding, Yuui sighed. "Yeah. Can you blame me? He's my only family after all." He tried to keep his tone leveled but cracks in his voice betrayed his so-called straight face.

Something went through Kurogane's eyes that Yuui didn't catch. Then the next thing he knew he was wrapped tightly against the ninja in an embrace. Yuui blinked in surprise. "W-What the—"

"_I'm_ not good in comforting people." Kurogane interrupted. "I was never good at comforting people; I even hated getting hugs from people." He placed a hand on Yuui's head. "But that mage….that idiot….with him and the rest of the group they…..help me change a bit." He sighed. "I….Look you were about to cry and I can't deal with tears okay?" He loudly said. "So….just be damn happy again….just..." He trailed off; feeling a bit nervous and awkward about the whole situation He wondered if the blonde would mind.

Yuui leaned his head on Kurogane as he closed his eyes. He then started chuckling. "Yeah…." He can only remember a time when he was embraced like this when not even his brother was around for him. He could feel tears stinging his eyes. The memory still lingered in his mind.

'_Mother….'_

* * *

Kurogane eyed a slice of cheesecake in front of him wryly. He glanced up at the smiling blonde. He scowled back. "Do I freaking have to?"

Yuui chuckled a bit. "It won't kill you. Just _try_."

Looking back at the dessert, Kurogane sighed. Picking up his fork, he cut out a piece of the slice and slowly put it into his mouth. He chewed for a seconds before swallowing it. He then sighed. "It's…not bad."

"Now see, was it that bad?" Yuui teased.

"Shut up." Kurogane grunted. "This isn't the first time eating sweets."

That made Yuui stop and blink. "It…isn't?"

"Nope." Kurogane slightly smirked at the look his was getting. "Ever since the start of our travels; that damn mage made sure that when he made that sweet crap like cookies, cake, whatever, he'd made sure I eat it. It wasn't that it was bad…" He shifted his eyes. "I just don't like sweets."

Yuui held back a laugh. "I see. But I'm guessing you like it at some point right?"

"…Maybe." Kurogane grumbled as he took another bite of the cheesecake. "But breathe a word of this to the mage or even that damn pork bun….." He half-heartedly threatened with a small smile on his face.

Getting the hidden message, Yuui held up his hands in surrender. "My lips are sealed." He then glanced at the ninja eating (with great difficulty) a dessert. He softly smiled. "And to think…I have a small crush on this world's version of this man." He mumbled.

"Huh?" Kurogane looked up from his cake. "Did you say something?"

Yuui shook his head. "Nothing. Just thinking." '_Let sleeping dogs lie I guess.' _ Though it was selfish of him to think about it, he wanted someone to be with just like his brother was with Kurogane and the traveling pair. But for now; this was enough.

For a mere moment; he was happy.

And that was good enough for him.

* * *

**END**

* * *

I made a bit of a twist in this. But no, nothing more will come out of it. So lower your pitchforks. XD

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
**


	8. Two people, one heart

Next chapter up~! I'm trying to move this story along so if it's going too fact for you , let me know.

The idea was so great in my head but as i typed it down, I'm not so sure anymore.

But whatever.

Enjoy~! ^_^

* * *

**Two people, one heart**

* * *

[Several hours later]

A pair of deep green eyes stared at the world through a thin layer of glass. The moon brightly shining down from above, lighting the earth below. Trees, plains, and a passing car once in a while. A sigh was heard as the green eyes looked away for a moment; glancing at the bright screen in front of it. Another sigh.

"Oi brat."

Those green eyes looked up to meet a pair of dark brown; looking at them with concern.

"You've been very quiet since we got into this damn car." A frown was met with those eyes. "Are you that depressed about that that wimp is still away?"

"…It's not that, nii-san." A girl's voice replied. "I just want to get home as soon as possible." _'So I can see for myself that it was all in my head.'_

"It's okay." A pair of gold-ish eyes met the others. "I'm sure it's just a case of homesickness. Besides, I'm sure Yuui-sensei and Watanuki would be happy to see you again. How about you get some sleep before then. We'll wake you up when we get there."

"Che. Yeah, maybe."

A smile reached the face that held those green eyes. "You're right." With a yawn and stretching, those green eyes were soon closed off from the rest of the world; the body going into a light slumber as the car continued its journey.

'_Syaoran….'_

* * *

[Around the same time]

Yuui yawned. It was very early in the morning and yet he's still awake. And why is that? It was because he was chatting with Syaoron for the last few hours. At first he got out his laptop to check on his e-mails that he knew that his brother, his brother's boyfriend or anyone has sent to him in the last few days. However he quickly got bored and signed in on a chat site which coincidentally Syaoron was there on the site too.

Though he's still not sure if you can get internet from Hong Kong.

One thing led to another and before he knew it, he and Syaoron wasted their hours of sleep chatting to each other. But he wouldn't say that it wasn't the worst night he ever spent; far from it. The two talked about their day, favorite things, current events; stuff like that. He didn't know why but when he chatted with the older Li twin, he felt a bit better. Considering everything that has happened to him; it was like a fresh breath of air to him.

'_I wonder if Syaoron felt the same way about it.'_

As the cooking teacher as into his thoughts, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Looking up, a pair of oddly similar sapphire eyes were looking back at him. He smiled. "May I help you~?"

Fai yawned before smiling back. "I was wondering what was all that clicking noises were. And I saw that the kitchen lights were on so…." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Softly chuckling, Yuui shook his head. "No; it's fine." He gestured to his laptop. "I was checking my e-mails and chatting with a friend of me who just as tired as I am." He then heard a soft sound of a ping. "Excuse me for a moment."

The mage nodded as he looked over Yuui's shoulder while the cooking teacher was typing. He tilted his head. "Is that what they called a com…comput…a comput…." His mind was a bit foggy as he couldn't remember every single thing that he has seen from world to world. "Comput….that object you're pressing the buttons on."

"It's called a computer." Yuui calmly said; not looking away from the screen. "It's like a…um-how should I say this- an electronic notebook that lets you write stuff by pressing the letters buttons here." He pointed to the keyboard. "Not only that but if you're lucky you might get internet which is _very_ useful especially this day and age." He smiled.

"Ah yes!" Fai softly exclaimed. "Now _that_ I have heard of. The internet; a network of information that can travel from place to place in a blink of an eye." He glanced at Yuui who was staring wide eyed at him. "Or…so I'm told."

"…You know what the internet is but not what a computer is?" Yuui asked with an amused look.

Rubbing his head, Fai chuckled a bit. "Well….the worlds I have been to, some priorities are set rather differently." He then shrugged. "And I haven't seen those things up close before."

Blinking, Yuui smirked "Of course." He then closed the laptop "Finally. Finished." He looked up at Fai to see a concerned look on his face. He unfortunately misinterpreted. "Oh don't worry. I said good-bye. We both knew we needed sleep so we logged off."

Fiddling his fingers, Fai cleared his throat. "Um…I…Kurgs told me something that I wasn't ready to hear."

Raising an eyebrow, Yuui slowly stood up; meeting those sapphire eyes. "Really? Was it his past? Because no one expects to hear the whole story in one go so I can see where it can put an emotional strain on you." He slightly joked.

Fai shook his head. "No; it's not that. He told me his past but that's not the thing I wasn't ready to hear." When Yuui didn't say anything, he continued. "He mentioned that _you_ told him about something that happened to _you_ in _your_ past." He then took a deep breath. "About what happened to your parents…and…."

"…That's really the reason why you couldn't sleep well." Yuui muttered. "I see. Well I guess I never told Kurogane not to say anything and I actually don't care if he does or doesn't." He shrugged; trying to sound indifferent. "Were you….sad about it?"

The mage could feel tears stinging his eyes. "Are you?" He put on a sad smile.

Yuui blinked at the change in the mage's expression. "W-why are you crying?"

Rubbing his eyes, Fai let out a sad smile. "B…Because you're starting to cry too."

Touching his face, Yuui could feel his cheeks which were wet. He chuckled bitterly. "Funny, I really am crying." He shook his head. "L-let me get a tissue for you then." He was about to move when a pair of hands touched his head; keeping him in his place. His eyes met Fai's.

The mage's tears ran down his face but a smile was there. "_Vous avez toujours été seul. Moi aussi. Deux personnes qui ont été abandonnés et maltraités. Mais c'est correct. Ne pleure pas. Vous n'avez pas à souffrir plus. Il ya des gens qui veulent vous aider. La douleur que vous avez enduré ne pouvait être guéri si vous les laissez. Vous devez comprendre cela. D'accord?_ "

With wide eyes, Yuui tried to catch his breath. _'F-French? So he can speak it too…and how did he know….' _Seeing that regardless of 'how' Fai spoke to him in his native tongue, he knew that he was right. Nodding, he smiled. "_Vous__avez raison__. __Merci__._"

With their foreheads touching, the two of them chuckled as they intertwined their hands. The contact was awkward at first but the touch soon made Yuui feel a bit better. About his moment of weakness, his life and how close brothers are; no matter how complicated things can be there was always someone to offer a shoulder for him to lean on. Though one question spoke to him that he never thought of thinking before.

'_When was the last time I ever told brother how I really feel?'_

* * *

Syaoran and Kurogane tried to hold back their amused smiles at the scene before them. Fai and Yuui were sleeping on a make-shift bed; cuddling under the thin sheets. Though that wasn't the most amusing part. The most amusing part was that Fai held Yuui in his arms; subconsciously rubbing the blonde hair while Yuui had a smile on his face.

"Do you think we should wake them up?" Syaoran asked with a smile.

"Nah." Kurogane shook his head. "Let them sleep. I knew the mage was up last night. And I doubt Yuui got any sleep before then." He then gestured Syaoran to the kitchen. "Come on; we're making breakfast."

Syaoran looked at the ninja wryly. "Uh…Kurogane…do you even know how to cook?"

The ninja glared at the young man. "Of course I know how to freaking cook. Who do you take me for?"

The boy was about to open his mouth but the ninja beat him to it by covering it.

"Never mind. Don't answer." The ninja muttered. "Let's just get something to eat for everyone, okay?" He took his hand away from Syaoran's face and proceeded to go to the kitchen.

Smiling at his companion, Syaoran followed suit. However a frown reached his face. "Hey, do you know where Mokona is?"

"Uh…dunno." Kurogane hesitantly said. "That pork bun could be outside hopping like the damn retarded bunny it is." He was glad that his face was away from Syaoran's sight. He didn't think his face could get any redder. Damn that cream puff.

* * *

_Yuui…_

_Yuui…_

_Yuui._

_A mop of blonde hair moved as blue eyes look up into those soft brown eyes. A hand gently touched his face as he saw a smile._

"_You are so adorable when you are asleep." A soft but amused voice was heard. "Fai was right; you are as cute as a button."_

_Frowning, Yuui sat up. "I'm not cute mother. I'm ten years old; not a baby." He looked away from his mom before his eyes fell upon Fai who was running around the field. He then looked a bit upwards and saw his dad trying and failing to catch his brother._

_Fai was the fastest twin._

_He jumped as he felt a hand on his head. He looked up to see his mom smiling down at him. He blinked. "What?"_

_The mother shook her head. "You look a little sad there, Yuui. Do you want to play with your father and Fai?"_

_Yuui shook his head and smiled. "No mother. I'd rather be here with you." He laughed as his mother hugged him and started tickling him. "Hahaha! M-Mom! Don't! I'll wet my pants!" He continued to laughed before he fell to the ground with his arms stretched out. _

_The mother laid down right next to him with a warm smile, reaching out to him. _

_Their fingers touch. Their eyes meet. Warm brown to the sharp sapphire. A mother and son._

_Yuui…._

_Yuui…._

_The boy smiled. "Mother…."_

_Yuui…._

Yuui…

_A frown reached the boy's face. "Mother…what's wrong? Your voice is changing."_

Yuui…

Yuui….

"_Actually, you're starting to sound like—"_

* * *

"Yuui….Yuui…" Syaoran said quietly as he nudged his host a bit. "Yuui…you need to wake up." Finally a groan was heard. The boy smiled as a pair of sleepy sapphire eyes were looking at him. "Good morning, Yuui."

The person in question blinked slowly. He took in the surroundings. Suddenly the cold reality came rushing back to him. The playground, his family, the younger version of himself; all but a memory that for some reason he can remember quite clearly.

More so then others.

"…Good morning, Syaoran." Yuui finally said; assuming that the boy wanted an answer. "Did you get anything to eat? Wait, what time is it?" He muttered as he started to move.

"It's about half past nine." Syaoran said. "And yes, we did. There are some leftover scrambled eggs that are still warm." He then let out a soft smile. "But I wouldn't move too much if I were you."

That statement made Yuui stop moving altogether. "Why is that?" To the host's surprise, Syaoran didn't say anything but instead lifted his finger; to something that was in front of him. So he did…and he did a double take. He then realized why he couldn't move as much. There was Fai, the mage next to him and holding him in his arms.

Well, he _did_ wonder why he felt so comfortable.

But how the hell did he end up in such a position. He closed his eyes, trying to think back to a mere few hours. _'Let's see, Fai was with me…we were talking…then we were crying and then…._' He opened his eyes. It all came back to him.

_Ah, hell_

Without thinking, Yuui started pushing Fai away as gently as possible. But the mage wouldn't budge. He sighed. "Um…Fai," He whispered. "You need to wake up. It's morning."He frowned at the lack of movement. "I mean it; _get up_." He suddenly let out a yelp as the arms he was trying to get out of pulled him back in a tight embrace. He glanced at Syaoran at the corner of his eye. "Does he do that often?"

Syaoran shrugged. "Sometimes. When he has a very good dream, that is. And if that happens then it's really difficult for him to wake up."

The cooking teacher sighed. "Perfect…" He muttered.

Kurogane then walked into the room glancing at the helpless cooking teacher who was in the clutches of his idiot other. He smirked. "The moron's having a good dream again."

"I know." Syaoran said with a bit of awe. "He's been having good dreams lately." He chuckled. "Like that time when we were in that tropical island. Of course he had too much to drink at that party. Never trust brightly colored alcohol, I'd say."

"Heh. As if that ever stopped him." The ninja said with a slight tone of humor lacing his voice. "Besides that's not the worst thing he's done. The _worst _thing that idiot has ever done was in that time we landed in that place called _Romania_ and we heard about those legends of vampire so that moron had the balls to—"

"_Excuse me_." Yuui calmly but firmly interrupted. "As much as I _love_ to listen in on the conversation, I believe that we still have a dilemma that needs to be solved." He then gritted his teeth. "Like how to get this brother look-alike _off of me_." He didn't mean to say something hurtful but it was morning and he would very much like to get freshen up and get something to eat.

Rolling his eyes, Kurogane made his way over to Fai's side. He knelled down and leaned his mouth over the mage's neck and placed his lips on it; sucking on that patch of skin as gently as he could. That got a soft moan out of the magician. He then leaned his mouth over the mage's ear. "Fai…it's time to wake up. Open your eyes, love."

At the soft spoken commend, Fai's eyes slowly opened as a groan escaped his lips. He turned his head just slightly and was greeted by those bright red eyes. "Oh…Kuro-sama; good morning." He had a smile that was still sleepy but held the sincerity that he had acquired not too long ago.

"Yeah, yeah. Good morning to you too." Kurogane muttered as a faint blush dusted his cheeks. "Now get the hell up; you're crushing him."

"..Wha…?" He looked over and saw that he wasn't in the temporary bed but on the floor in the living room. He then realized that he wasn't alone on the make-shifted bed. His eyes landed on Yuui who was not only looking uncomfortable but slightly embarrassed as well. He blinked before putting on an awkward smile. "G-Good morning…."

Blushing a bit at his own predicament, Yuui nodded. "I would say good morning back but so far this morning has been anything _but_ good." He then coughed. "So if you don't mind uh…."

Getting the message, Fai released his hold on Yuui as the two of them sat up. Looking over at Kurogane he sheepishly smiled. "I suppose you want an explanation, huh?"

"No, not really." Kurogane shrugged. "I think I can tell what happened." He then grabbed Fai's arm as he pulled him up. "Now get some breakfast before I shove it down your throat." He let out a small smile as the threat held no malice.

Giggling, Fai wrapped his arms around the man's shoulders. "Only if you'll feed me." He gave the ninja a quick peck on the cheek.

Kurogane smirked. "Not on your damn life."

Syaoran watched in amusement as the two bickered all the way to the kitchen. Some things just never gets old. "Well, there goes a peaceful morning huh Yuui?" A moment of silence. "Yuui?" He glanced over at the cooking teacher to see that he kind of resembled a tomato. "Um Yuui, is there something wrong?"

Putting his hands on each side of his face, Yuui turned to look at Syaoran with wide eyes. "W-What…what the hell was that?" He shouted out.

"Um…What was?" Syaoran asked; not fazed by the sudden volume that Yuui's voice has taken.

"T-That! T-The kiss...Kurogane being sweet….and that moan…._just what the hell happened here_?" Yuui shouted the last part in exasperation. "And how the hell are you not bothered with that?"

"The kiss…" Syaoran muttered before snapping his fingers with a smile. "Oh! You mean that." He then chuckled. "Yeah…since the start of yet another journey, Fai has been sleeping more peacefully; so peacefully that it was rather hard to wake him up like I mentioned before." He then rubbed the back of his head. "So eventually, Kurogane found a way to wake him up. Not the most subtle way to wake him up but it's a good way nonetheless."

"….How many times has this happened?" Yuui asked incredulously.

"More times then I want to admit." Syaoran admitted. "That's why I got used to it."

Yuui sat there for a couple more minutes; letting the information sink in before standing up. He then sighed. "How long have those two been together?" He finally asked.

Syaoran grinned. "Longer then you think."

* * *

[Some time later]

"Oi brat. Wake up; we're here."

Sakura's eyelids began to flutter as she was pulled back into the realm of consciousness. She looked around and realized that the car wasn't moving anymore. She also realized that it wasn't night anymore but daytime. She yawned and looked outside. She was home.

She glanced to the other to see one of her childhood friends, Yukito carrying a couple of bags before walking towards the house. She suddenly jumped as she felt a hand touching her shoulder. She turned her head to see her older brother Touya looking back at her with an unimpressed look.

"All these years and you're still as jumpy as a squirrel."

The girl pouted as she crossed her arms. "And yet you couldn't muster up the courage to tell Yukito how you really feel about him. As i recall you were just as jumpy then too." She smirked as her brother's face expressed awe and embarrassment.

"Why you little..."

"Touya, Sakura."

The siblings turned their attention to Yukito as he was smiling and waiting patiently for them. "As much as I would allow this amusing banter to continue, a certain brown-haired boy's on the house phone waiting for a certain young lady to answer him."

Sakura's eyes brighten as she jumped out of the car (and shoving Touya out of the way in the process). "Syaoran? Syaoran's on the phone?" When Yukito nodded, she squealed as she ran into the house. She tripped twice before getting into the building.

Seeing his sister go off like that, Touya stared at Yukito. "I hope you know that i still don't like that brat." He grumbled.

Laughing, Yukito made his way over to the overprotective brother. "Yes, I know. The whole neighborhood knows that. Even our school and the Horitsuba academy knows that." Covering his smile at Touya faceplaming, Yukito nodded. "It's rather obvious that you care for Sakura and only want the best for her." He held up a hand; silencing any retort Touya was sending his way. "However, you must realize that she is growing up and is capable of making her own decisions. Besides, has Syaoran-kun _ever_ done anything wrong to her in the past since they both met?"

"...No." Touya grumpily admitted. "The brat's a freaking saint and he's likable by everyone." He then glared as the sidewalk beside him. "But that doesn't change the fact that I don't like him. I made that clear with his older twin brother, Syaoron."

"Yes, yes you have." Yukito calmly replied. "And that's why we can't have you two together in a room anymore."

"One time, _one time _we meet that we ended up in bruises and black eyes." Touya crossed his arms. "Besides, he started it."

Yukito sighed. _'Stubborn as ever.' _He then smiled and patted Touya on the head (which said person was blushing and made no move to swat that hand away). "How about we just finish unpacking and get something to eat. That'll take your mind off of things for awhile."

Not liking that but too tired to argue, Touya nodded. "Fine. But I swear, if I hear crying coming from my sister after that phone call, don't try to stop me."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

"Hello? Syaoran, are you there?" Sakura held the phone close to her ear. Her heart was filled with anticipation. It was the first time she has heard Syaoran in days and she couldn't even chat with him online. The price of staying at her relative's house. She steadied her breathing as a voice that she was all too familiar was heard.

"**Sakura? Is that you? Is that really you?**"

Containing herself from screaming, she nodded. "Hi Syaoran! How are you~?"

A chuckle on the other end. "**I'm doing great. It's been a while but I'm having fun in Hong Kong. But Nii-san would not stop making fun of me! Just because he's been there longer then i have.**" A irritated sigh was heard before a cheery tone took over. "**So how was that trip to your relative's? Did you have fun?**"

There was a small pause before Sakura smiled. "Of course. I had lots of fun. But i can't say the same for Touya. That big meany's always being so depressed and gloomy. Luckily, Yukito was there so the trip wasn't a complete waste." She continued to listen to Syaoran's side of the conversation while she added some stuff from the rest of the trip. However there was a small twinge inside of her that made her feel a bit uneasy. Then she thought back to that night she needed someone to talk to.

And got something completely different.

* * *

Yuui screamed as he was doused with water. He was soaked from head to toe with his t-shirt sticking to his cheat as his shorts felt heavy. He shook off the excessive water off of him before glaring at the person responsible. Well...two people actually.

Fai and Mokona laughed as the mage held the hose tightly; cutting off the water-flow. "Yuui got wet~! Yuui got wet~!" Then they screamed as Yuui sprayed them with a water gun that was apparently behind his back. The trio then declared water war as splashes of water were shot everywhere.

Syaoran watched the whole ordeal with an amused smile on his face. He glanced at Kurogane who despite having a straight face, had eyes filled with joy. "Isn't it weird how it started out as gardening?"

The ninja nodded as he leaned back. "Yup. It just proves how bored those two are." He then glanced at his left arm which covered by a long shirt. He pulled up the sleeve for a second; glancing at the metal before putting it back down. He sighed.

"That arm's still feeling weird to you huh?"

Kurogane glanced at Syaoran who had a worried expression on his face. He scoffed. "Of course it feels weird to me; it's a freaking metal/robotic arm." He then dodged a wave of water that was aimed his way. "I saw that you know." When the mage and Mokona stuck their tongues out, he flipped them the bird before looking back at Syaoran. "What're you so damn worried about? It's not killing me or anything."

Shrugging, Syaoran crossed his arms. "Nothing really. It's just that we've been here awhile and you _still_ haven't told Yuui about it. I thought you did when the rest of us were out so what's stopping you?" His eyes landed on the ninja who for once wasn't yelling with anger and accusing him of anything. He frowned. "...Kurogane?"

"...I thought I knew what I was doing."

"Huh?" There are a a few things that Syaoran would be genuinely confused about. This was one of them. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, at first I kept that arm a secret because I wanted to see if Yuui can take in something like that but now..." Kurogane rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not so sure anymore." He then silently cursed. "Goddamn it, why am I worried about what he'll think? If I got this arm a lot earlier i wouldn't give a shit about how people will react to it!"

Syaoran looked at his friend with concern. "Maybe its because you're still feeling loss of a limb and a small dent of pride. As a ninja, you wanted to get stronger so losing a limb would just be ludicrous because that would mean you may not fight anymore." When the ninja didn't say a word, he continued. "But to have something that no one in your world would have was a second choice that you made. However, because of that chance you now see things in a different standpoint. With that arm, you don't feel complete as a person or that you felt something of yourself being pulled apart when that moment occurred. So eventually you wonder if people will see that incomplete person or that wounded warrior." He then smiled softly. "Well, I can say for sure that I don't and neither does Fai or Mokona. So there's nothing to fret over. You've changed, Kurogane; in more ways then one. That's all."

The ninja stared at the boy in amazement. Not only that he was right, the stuff he said made him feel a it better. After the initial shock, Kurogane then let out a small and soft smile. "...Sometimes I forgot that you're a lot older then you look."

The boy smiled. "It's alright. I actually like being this way."

"Syaoran~! Syaoran~!"

The pair looked forward to see the rest of the group waving at them. "Syaoran~! Come play with us Syaoran~!"

The young man looked at the ninja with a confused look.

Scoffing, Kurogane leaned over and pushed the boy to the side. "They're calling for you, dummy. Now go play before the mage gets bored again."

Nodding, Syaoran ran over to the rest of the gang as another round of water war.

The ninja watched them with a slightly amused expression on his face. He glanced over at Yuui who ducked from a spray of water coming form the hose. His eyes narrowed. Would Yuui mind looking at the man who lost a limb but gained something else? He closed his eyes as a sigh escaped his lips. He knew that Yuui was the type of person he can trust, but to what extent? While what Syaoran said was true, he couldn't help but feel that this world's version of Fai's twin may not take it well. But then again, the blonde might surprise him. After all despite being another version of the twin, he's still Fai's brother.

He grumbled.

Back to square one.

* * *

[A few hours later]

"Seriously? Out of food _again_?"

The travelers blinked at they stopped their game of 'go-fish' for a second.

Yuui then stomped into the room with a frustrated expression. "I can't believe this. Barely a week has gone by and food just keeps disappearing. Where does it all _go_?"

Syaoran and Kurogane exchanged glaces before their eyes landed at a sleeping Mokona who was on the couch. The creature burped.

Fai held back a laugh as he covered his smile with the cards. "Who can say? It could be just your imagination for all we know." He then took a card out of the pile. "Speaking of, what's for dinner?"

The ninja smacked the mage upside the head as Syaoran sighed.

Yuui raised an eyebrow before going back to the kitchen. "I don't know. But what i do know is that i have to buy more food _again_." He got his jacket and his wallet. "I have to hurry and buy whatever i can afford for the moment." He muttered something under his breath that the group couldn't hear. "Syaoran can I ask you to do me a favor? There's some frozen dumplings that i bought from a Korean shop just last week. They should be okay to eat. Could you cook it for me. It should suffice for the you guys until i get back."

Syaoran nodded. "Of course."

Opening the door, Yuui flashed a smile. "I'll be back as soon as possible." And with that, he closed the door. The sounds of footsteps growing quieter as he walked out of the front yard and down the sidewalk.

Standing up, Syaoran stretched. "Well, I should get started. Who knows when he'll be back." He then started walking towards the kitchen. "Fai, could you help me a bit? I'm still a bit off on frying food."

Laughing, Fai stood up and put down his cards. "Of course~! What are mothers for?" He then followed the boy. He suddenly stopped and waved a finger at Kurogane. "No cheating, Kuro-love~! The game's still on and I'll know if you peaked~!"

As those two went to the kitchen, Kurogane rolled his eyes. "That's rich coming from the king of all cheaters." Regardless, the ninja put his cards down and sighed. He glanced over at the couch. His eyes softened as the sight of Mokona peacefully sleeping. _'That little fur ball is kinda cute...when it's not making chaos and being perverted.' _His eyes then trailed off to the table right next to it. He blinked as something shiny caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes to get a clearer look at it. Then he groaned.

"Ah, shit."

* * *

"That'll be $45.70"

"Thanks."

Yuui paid the cashier as he picked up the bags. He then bid the cashier a good night as he walked out of the store. The sky was already getting dark as the street lights were turned on, one by one. He hung his head as he started walking home. "I don't think I can handle another shopping trip. Mokona's really a pig. Makes me wonder where all that food's going." He then chuckled. "Probably to another world." As he turned to a corner, his mind drifted back to what happened early that morning. That dream he had...the feelings he felt and the person who saw them flowing out of him.

_It's okay. Everything will be fine._

Narrowing his eyes, Yuui stopped for a second. '_Funny. Brother said that once.' _He smiled as he pictured his brother's smiling and laughing like there was nothing wrong with the world. That's one thing he was envious of;the will to just look at the bright side. He couldn't remember a time when he didn't need his brother's help on that. _'Oh Mother, if only i can turn back the clock to that time...so i could tell that-'_

"Yuui-sensei?"

The teacher turned around and grinned. "Watanuki! It's been a while. How are you're holding up?"

The person in question shyly smiled as he gripped his jacket. "Yeah, it's me. And I'm doing great. I was actually on my way to your house because...there's something i want to talk to you about." He then looked away. "If you have the time."

Yuui sighed as he was torn between two choices. Should he stay and talk to Watanuki or tell him that it wasn't a good time and he should come by another day. On one hand, his _friends_ will have to starve. On the other hand, this is Watanuki and it was rare that the boy would go to anyone for anything; being the kind and gentle person that he is so what he wanted to talk about might be very important. He mentally groaned. _'Forgive me guys.'_ "Sure. I got time. What do you need to talk about?"

Watanuki shivered a bit as he sighed. "Well, it's about a dream i had. It wasn't like a normal dream like flying or anything. It was...surreal."

"Well dreams can be surreal." Yuui said. "But how surreal are we talking about?"

The teenager looked at the street before glancing at the teacher. "Um...well...if you have a dream where you see someone who looks like you but isn't you; what does that mean?"

"...What do you say?"

This was going to take longer then Yuui had realized.

* * *

"Wow, these dumplings are good~!"

"Don't eat them all porkbun; we're the ones starving here."

"Oh come now, Kuro-puu. Mokona's a growing creature and needs the nutrients she needs."

"Heh. That's total bull. I'll believe it when the cream puff gets bigger then this damn house."

Syaoran watched with a smile as the group was talking in a semi-normal manner. Fai's being more calm, Kurogane's being more mature and Mokona hasn't said anything that would cause anything to blow out proportion. He then glanced at the clock and frowned. _'Yuui's been gone for a long time. He must have went to more then one shop.' _He slightly felt guilty about the whole 'food' ordeal. He was grateful for all that Yuui has done but it was going up and beyond for them. He mentally noted that he should have a talk to Mokona about eating food that's not theirs. He suddenly stood up as the doorbell ring. He looked t the rest of the group questionably. "Um...should we get that?"

Fai shook his head. "Nope. Yuui wouldn't like it if we opened the door to some stranger and besides even I can't lie our way of a situation if it's s friend of his." He popped a dumpling into his mouth.

Something clicked in Kurogane's mind as he just remembered something. "Well...the blonde _did_ forget his keys." When the rest of the group stared at him, he shrugged. "I saw something metal in the living room and it turned out to be keys. And he did left in a hurry."

Feeling a small ping of concern, Syaoran got out of his chair. "I'll check." He went out of the kitchen and into the living room. Once at the front door, he stopped for a second as a wave of nostalgia went through him. He blinked. _'That was odd. For a second there, i felt something familiar.' _Shrugging, Syaoran unlocked the door and opened it. "Come in Yuui, sorry about..." He trailed off as his brown eyes widened.

Only to have jade green eyes staring back at him.

_No._

_No, it can't be._

_It's impossible._

_There's just no way!_

_It's-!  
_

The boy tried to speak but no words came out.

But there was no need to as the person who was in equal shock spoke up first.

A voice that not only stroke a chord within him but also mixed of fear and relief. _Her._

"S-Syaoran...is that you?"

* * *

**END**

* * *

Translations-

French

"_Vous avez toujours été seul. Moi aussi. Deux personnes qui ont été abandonnés et maltraités. Mais c'est correct. Ne pleure pas. Vous n'avez pas à souffrir plus. Il ya des gens qui veulent vous aider. La douleur que vous avez enduré ne pouvait être guéri si vous les laissez. Vous devez comprendre cela. D'accord?_ " - You have always been alone. Me too. Two people who have been abandoned and abused. But it's okay. Don't cry. You don't have to suffer anymore. There are people who want to help you. The pain you've endured could only be healed if you let them. You have to realize that. Okay?

_Vous__avez raison__. __Merci_ - You're right. Thank you.

**Now I KNOW I screwed that up.** **But hey, that's google translate for ya. **

* * *

Oh boy, more trouble ahead.

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
**


	9. SatD: Watanuki's Dream

Hey,look at that~! It's updated~! (would have been posted the day before but once again FF has reminded me why i don't trust it 100 percent) XD

And for those reading this; you might be a bit pissed. XD

Also, I'm participating in _KuroFai Fluff vs. Angst competition_ on **LiveJournal. **I along with **Uakari **and a few others, We are team fluff. So this story might have slower updates along with the others. Those who still have (or just have) an LJ account, keep your eyes open for that. (And let the games begin~!)

Ugh, I'm nervous already.

_P.S-_**Uakari **has a new story out called '_Something Rotten'_ in the Horitsuba fandom. Watch as our favorite characters battle ghosts, complete their missions and face the ultimate terror.

...

Okay I lied. It is totally _not_ like that at all. XD But hilarity is guaranteed. And crack-ish tendencies. Believe me, you'll laugh and question your sanity at some point. Anyway have a read! You won't be disappointed~!

_Enjoy the first part of the chapter~!_

* * *

**Surprise at the doorstep: Watanuki's Dream**

* * *

Yuui couldn't fathom what was happening. One minute he was grocery shopping to feed his starving new friends and the next he was sitting on the bench with his friend and student, Watanuki. Upon thinking though he supposed he should have it coming from a mile away. Considering the fact in the last week or so, he had encountered something stranger than most people could only imagine.

He wished in that moment he was one of those people right now.

Nonetheless, there he was, next to Watanuki; patiently waiting for the boy to speak up. When he was told by said boy that he had a dream like no other, it was almost possible to ignore. And it was with good reason.

Just how many people have a dream where they see someone like them but different?

Sighing, Yuui leaned back on the bench and glanced at anything that wasn't Watanuki for the moment. _'I wonder how the others are doing right now. Hopefully they're not starving and I did tell them about the dumplings.' _

"Um…."

Yuui looked at Watanuki with a raised eyebrow as the teen didn't lift his head up; just staring at his hands as they tremble a bit. He smiled. "Don't rush yourself; take as much time as you need to explain."

Watanuki nodded before lifting his head with a sigh. "It was strange; you know?" He looked at Yuui. "I mean; I knew I was different from others somehow but that dream…it really raised the bar on the 'uniqueness'. As if I wasn't weird before." He chuckled.

The cooking teacher chuckled with him. "Sometimes being weird is a good thing. It's better than being boring and normal, right?" When Watanuki nodded, he continued. "So this dream; was the first time you had a dream like that; seeing someone who looks like you but isn't you?"

"I….I can't say that I had that dream, exactly before." Watanuki said. "Like any other person, I can't remember most of my dreams but there were a few that stood out." He then lanced his fingers together. "Like seeing a mysterious shop in the middle of nowhere; the black Mokona bouncing and greeting me and….." He grimaced. "A damn older Doumeki looking at me with the same indifference as the Doumeki I know."

'_Oh, I see. So those dreams may not be dreams in his case.'_ Yuui thought as he crossed his arms. "That's quite fascinating. Though I like to see what Doumeki looks like when he's older." He lightly joked. However, when Watanuki gave no emotion, he frowned. "Was the dream really that scary?"

Blinking, Watanuki shook his head. "Oh no; it wasn't _scary_. It was…..creepy." He then placed a hand over his eyes. "That dream that I had not so long ago wasn't like I was _in _a dream. It was like I just closed my eyes in one minute before sleeping in my bedroom and the next I opened them and I was in this black void." He then stared at his hands. "I didn't want to believe that I was dreaming but the air around me; it really gave me the vibe that I was."

"A black void…." Yuui mumbled to himself. "So then what happened?"

"Then I just stood up and started walking around." Watanuki continued. "But no matter how much I walked or how far I've gotten, that black void was all I see. Then something weirder happened." He then shifted his eyes. "I saw…a butterfly."

"A butterfly?"

"Yeah, a beautiful glowing butterfly." Watanuki said. "It was flying right behind me and then whizzed past me with a trail of….it looked like magic dust to me…behind it." He then smiled a bit. "For some reason though, I wanted to follow it and I did."

Yuui pondered for a second. "Well a butterfly is technically a symbol of a dream and whatnot. So…." He then sighed. "So you followed this butterfly; without knowing where it might lead to. Then what happened?"

Watanuki then chuckled a bit. "Well as I was following the butterfly, it gained speed and was flying further and further away from me so I started running." He then looked at Yuui. "I ran and I ran but the butterfly was faster. Eventually the butterfly was just a light speck in the void but what I saw next really freaked me out."

"…That person; the other you." Yuui finished.

Nodding, Watanuki pressed his lips into a thin line. "I finally caught up with the butterfly but it landed on _his_ shoulder. _He_ smiled at it and touched it ever so lightly. The butterfly then jerked and flew back to me. Only then did _he_ realize that I was there." He gulped. "I was scared. I mean who else in this universe has a dream of a reflection?" He then calmed himself a bit. "I thought _he_ was going to get angry; that _he'll_ try to kill me like some nightmare that you only see in movies. But then _he_ lend out a hand. He…wanted me to come over."

"And you did."

"Strange as it sounded yeah I did." Watanuki sarcastically said. "I made my over there and got a good look at _him._" He then started laughing; shocking Yuui to no end. "He really looked like me! The face, the hair, the glasses –well the glasses were familiar not my own- but he…..he was really me!" He then blushed as he cleared his throat. "I was really excited at that fact and _he_ saw….and laughed."

"Sounds like he's a humble character." Yuui mused. "At least he doesn't seem to be a threat or else you have woken yourself up already."

Watanuki nodded. "He told me a few things after that; that there was a reason why we were in that void and how in a dream was kind of like a point between life and death for some but a just a place for others. We talked; shared some stories and the next thing I knew…I was back in my bedroom….with tears in my eyes." He hung his head. "But I don't know if they were tears of joy or grief."

Letting the information sink in, Yuui could only lean out and looped an arm around the teen and pulled him close. He could feel the boy slightly trembling over the whole experience. He could tell that seeing something like that can change a person in certain ways. He did. But there was one question that he had in mind. "What was the last thing that look-alike said to you before he woke up?"

The teen closed his eyes as the words replayed in his head.

"_I wish the best for you. Yuuko would have wanted it as well_."

* * *

One thing led to another and the next thing Yuui knew, he was in Watanuki's place cooking up some meals to go. Watanuki felt bad that he took up Yuui's time since the man was obviously in a hurry. So as a thank you, the teen invited the cooking teacher to use his kitchen to make the meals instead.

While Watanuki was stirring the batter, Yuui frowned in thought. _'Just when I didn't think at this point in my life would get any weirder, Watanuki gets dragged down with me…and he wasn't even involved. He certainly didn't ask to see his other self and I'm sure as hell that I didn't ask to see look-alikes of my friends from another dimension.' _ He cracked an egg as his eyes soften. _'But then again, things happen for a reason and for somehow…..maybe I should tell Watanuki the truth….or at least ask if he knows….' _Yuui looked over at the teen with slight nervousness. "Say Watanuki."

"Hmm?" Watanuki paused his mixing as he looked up at his teacher. "What's up?"

Gulping, Yuui cleared his throat. "Um…I want to ask you something….this other Watanuki…he didn't mention anyone that he might know; did he?"

Watanuki put down the whisk as he placed a hand under his chin in thought. "Well in the middle of our discussion he did mention that a group of travelers would be here in our world." He fail to notice Yuui flinching. "Which was weird because I thought he would say that they are coming but he smiled like he already knew that they're here….somewhere. Why?"

Trying to calm himself down, Yuui smiled. "Well…let's just say theoretically that they are in this neighborhood somewhere and theoretically they look like people we might have known…would you be surprised?"

Blinking, Watanuki raised an eyebrow. "Uh…well, if that's the case then I'd be a bit surprised. I mean not as surprised as seeing the other version of me but yeah, something like that." He then narrowed his eyes as his teacher. "Yuui-sensei…you've acting a bit weird since I've told you my dream. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"…" Yuui moved his eyes left to right as rapidly as humanly possible. "Well…something _did_ happen to me that let's just say, turned my world upside down." He rubbed the back of his head. "It was amazing, scary and just plain weird. And I know where they are."

The sound of a toaster oven going off was the only sound that was heard throughout the whole kitchen.

"Really?" Watanuki yelled with excitement. "You know where they are?" He then did a cheer as he finished up his part. "That's great! I really want to meet those travelers. People going from world to world at any part of the universe at any time zone! It's freaking great!" He smiled brightly. "Is it okay then if I can meet them? I won't ask for anything else, I promise; just once, please?"

Taken aback from the teen's enthusiasm, Yuui found it hard to say no. He wanted to tell the boy the truth but he figured that it would be better if he showed him. Chuckling, he nodded. "Sure. I can introduce you to the travelers. I don't think they would mind." _'I hope_.' He mentally added. "And don't be silly, when school's out, I'm only your friend and friends help each other out and I'm not looking for anything in return. Besides, Doumeki doesn't ask for anything in return."

Looking wide-eyed at his teacher/friend, Watanuki gaped. "Are you kidding me? Have you seen the way he eats? That fat jerk had been eating me out of house and home ever since we have known each other!" He started waving his arms around. "He's insensitive, indifferent, boring and the dumbest person I have ever met! Just the thought of him makes me want to scream!"

Yuui blinked at the odd behavior that Watanuki has taken before smiling back at him. "And yet, you guys are still friends? If the friendship is causing more grief then joy why stay with him and why is he staying with you? Hmm?"

Watanuki got silent for a moment. "Well…even though he's a jerk, he actually cares about me. I mean he's way more popular then I am and with all the attention he's getting, he's still by my side." He then huffed. "Not that it matters to me; I could care less. He can hook up with all the women he wants!"

"Now I know that's not true." Yuui softly argued back. "If anyone knows you; we would know that you would care and that you'd be more upset if your first friend you've made would just leave you in the dust." He then leaned forward until his eyes met Watanuki's. "Only then could he be a jerk to you."

"But…!" Watanuki argued. "It's just that I never wanted to be friends with him in the first place! We just met and I wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of him! And then everyone would say 'Aw~! They are such good friends' when in reality it's the total opposite!" He said with irritation. "I mean why can't they see what _I_ have to deal with? Even that other me had problems with the other version of Doumeki."

Yuui shrugged. "Not sure. Maybe it's because the one who's not seeing reality of the situation is you." He held up a hand; cutting any arguments his way. "There are some things that I will agree with you. At first, I thought the dynamic relationship between you two was a bit…odd at best…but then I heard things from my brother, Kurogane, Sakura and the others about Doumeki but I was skeptical." He then smirked. "Until I got to talk to Doumeki himself and do you know what he said about you?"

"W-What did he say about me exactly?" Watanuki hesitantly asked.

"He said and I quote 'That moron? Well he's a bit of a pain, a spaz, and very annoying at times'." Yuui then lowered his voice a couple octaves. "'But he was the only person I can really open up to. He's a great chef, a good person to others and he's selfless. I couldn't have a better friend then him'. Then he shrugged and went on his way. I actually believed those words that he had said because Doumeki was never the type of person who would lie about his friend or the friendship he has. Do you?"

For a few seconds Watanuki couldn't speak. He couldn't even think. He leaned on the counter with a shocked look on his face as he shook his head; trying to let that information sink in. He then had a small smile on his face. He quietly chuckled. "That….jerk. Going around saying things like that. How corny."

Smiling, Yuui went back doing his part. "Now that's out of the way, how about we finished this and go to my house tonight?"

Watanuki nodded and the two continued cooking. But not before the teen spilled the batter making said teen yelled like a little girl and the teacher laughing loudly.

* * *

"_What a surprise. To think that I would see another version of myself in another world; one completely out of my range."_

"_It is creepy. Does it mean the time-space continuum fixing itself?"_

"_Hard to say. But I think the problem of me and him being here and alive has lessened but….it's still there."_

"_How much longer then will you be here?"_

"_As long as it takes. Until I see her again."_

"_But Watanuki…."_

"_I have made a choice and fate did the rest. You know I can't go back now. Sorry Mokona….I'm here because of a mistake and the two of us are still paying for it. It's….inevitable. Our fate; that is."_

"…_Is it really?"_

* * *

Yuui and Watanuki were both singing a song as they were walking to the teacher's house. They swing left to right with goofy smiles on their faces. The sun was barely over the horizon as the stars were starting to shine over the darkened sky. The bags they were carrying were moving a bit violently as they leaned on each other every once in a while.

As they got to Yuui's front door, the teacher cleared his throat. "Now, remember the travelers I promised to introduce to you?" When Watanuki nodded, he nodded back. "Well brace yourself, because you _will_ be surprised." He then took a key out and unlocked the door. "Guess who~!"

"Yuui~!" A voice called out as Yuui and Watanuki walked in. The teen couldn't help but feel that the voice sounded familiar; almost like….

A blonde, much similar to Yuui ran up to them from the hallway with a big red shirt and a pair of loose jeans. "I'm so glad that you came back we were getting so worried~!" He then hugged Yuui as tightly as he could.

And surprisingly, Yuui hugged back.

Watanuki had to blink twice before shaking his head. "Um….Excuse me."

The two blondes look at Watanuki; one with a curious look and the other with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't want to sound rude but that is Fai-sensei…right?"

The one who looked like Fai let go of Yuui and smiled knowingly. "Sensei, huh? So I'm really a teacher at your school. I must be very important~!"

"If 'important' translates to 'annoying waste of space then yeah, you're 'important'." Yuui joked as Fai pouted. "And really how often do you forget things that I tell you. Because this is the third time I had to remind you that."

Watanuki was getting more and more confused. _'This is a joke right? I mean, that can't be a traveler from another world, right? I mean this guy is practically Fai-sensei. I mean besides the long hair like Yuui-sensei and that he's a bit calmer then the Fai-sensei I know. Then again….Fai-sensei and Kurogane-sensei are on a trip; to Italy no less and they shouldn't be back until after break and there's no way Fai-sensei would want to grow his hair that long but then again….'_

Fai smirked as he saw Watanuki hurting his head thinking. He then went up to him and tapped his nose; snapping the teen out of his thoughts. "So you're Watanuki huh? Nice to meet you~!" He greeted happily. "Yuui has told me a lot of things about you~!" He lend his hand out.

The teen hesitantly took that hand and shook it. "So you're not the Fai we know, right?"

"Hmm….Well my name's Fai but yes I'm not the Fai you know." Fai said with a smile. "And I'm one of the travelers that you wanted to meet."

"But how…?"

"Let's just say a little bird told us." Fai said mysteriously with a finger on his lips; making Yuui roll his eyes.

"Wait." Watanuki said. "So you're another version of Fai from another world right?" When Fai nodded, he continued. "And that you're traveling from world to world right?" Another nod. "So…are you the only one traveling?"

"Oh no~!" Fai exclaimed with a smile. "I have three other people traveling with me but two of them are sleeping right now." He then looked at the bags and clasped his hands together. "Yay~! Food! You remembered~!"

"Of course I did." Yuui rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't let my friends starve, now would I?"

Watanuki watched the two playfully fight and bicker. He was still shocked that the Fai-look-alike was one of the travelers. If that's the case then he had a pretty good idea who were his companions. But what kind of bothered him was that _Fai_ was with Yuui of all people. Wasn't it a bit weird to see another worldly person who's not only looks like your brother but a twin was well?

The mere idea of it was just confusing.

As the two blondes continued to talk, Yuui stopped for a second. "Um Fai….you said that two of them are sleeping, right?"

"Yeah." Fai then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Kuro and Mokona were really tired so they went to sleep?"

Nodding to the blonde, Yuui then lowered his voice as well. "And what about Syaoran…the third companion? Where is he?"

Chuckling nervously, Fai rubbed the back of his head. "Well you see….something happened."

Yuui nodded. "Okay. And?"

Finding no way out of it, Fai cleared his throat. "It's a long story and you're not going to like it."

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

Well that sucks. XD

And now; most of you are like 'What? I wanted to see Syaoran's reaction to Sakura!' I know. I didn't lie about that but I didn't say it would be exactly next. XD Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough.

* * *

More to come:

_Omake 3: Watanuki's conversation_- A funnier look into Watanuki's dream and his interaction with the Holic!Watanuki. Be warned though, there will be _a lot_ of yelling.

_Surprise at the doorstep: Confrontation- _Let's rewind to the beginning. When Yuui and Watanuki were on the bench. When the group was having a good time together. Before one of our protagonist opened the door and is face with the shock of his life? The one person he thought he will never see in a long time. Will the truth come out or will the emotions of his heart keep him hidden again?

* * *

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^**


	10. SatD: Confrontation

Finally, the part that you all have been waiting for. (WHOO~!)

I honestly didn't like the ending of it because my computer decided to pause the internet and make me lost the original bit. I couldn't remember so I had to start from scratch. (I hate it when that happens). DX

oh, yeah: and another twist. ^_^

Enjoy~!

* * *

**Surprise at the doorstep: Confrontation**

* * *

Let's rewind a bit; shall we?

When Yuui and Watanuki were talking on the park bench.

When our travelers were having a good time.

Before that moment.

There was a knock on the door.

Syaoran opened the door.

Only to find a pair jade green eyes staring back at him.

_No._

_No, it can't be._

_It's impossible._

_There's just no way!_

The boy was in shock.

He cannot move.

He cannot speak.

Time itself stood still.

He wished it was an illusion

He wished it was all a dream.

But it wasn't.

And now the person he thought he would never see was there.

In plain view.

And that person uttered one thing; the one thing that made things even more complicated.

"S-Syaoran...is that you?"

Time is neither good nor bad in a person's eyes.

But fate's another story.

* * *

[An hour ago]

"_Just where the hell are you going, you brat?"_

_Sakura didn't say anything as she continued to pack her bag. She then placed it over her shoulder and stood her ground._

_Touya and Yukito were very confused by her behavior. Just after eating dinner, the girl rushed into her room and just stayed there. It was very quiet for a first few minutes before they heard a squeak and movement of objects. So they rushed to her room and opened the door only to see her getting her bag and packing._

_This made them very worried._

"_Sakura," Yukito softly called off. "Mind telling us what's going on?" He tried to smile. "You've been acting very odd since you got off the phone with Syaoran."_

_The very name made the girl flinch. It showed in her eyes. _

_Touya sighed. "If you're planning on running away to see that brat then you have to get through me first-"_

"_No."_

_The two guys blinked at the tone._

"_I'm not running away." Sakura looked at them with determined eyes. "And even if that's what I wanted to do, that's not it." She looked at the floor. "I…..I'm going to Yuui-sensei's house." She looked at them. "There's something I want to talk to him about."_

_Touya and Yukito exchanged glances._

"_Brat….if there's something you want to talk about I-" Touya paused. "Yukito's here to help. I don't care either way." That was a lie. Even though he wouldn't admit it, he was worried about his little sister. Just what the hell is going on?_

_Sakura shook her head. "I'm sorry nii-san, Yukito." She smiled weakly. "But this isn't something I can talk to you about. Yuui-sensei may be a cooking teacher but he understands a lot of people and listens…I mean really listens." She said. "And he's lonely; more lonely then I ever seen anyone. He needs to be with someone too."_

_Touya wanted to argue that but it fell silent as a hand touched his shoulder. He looked to see Yukito shaking his head. He then sighed. "Fine, we get it." He then gestured Sakura to follow him. "Get in the car, I'll take you there."_

_But the girl shook her head. "No. I want to walk there."_

"_But it's not safe to walk out." Yukito pointed out. "It's almost nighttime and who knows what could be out there."_

_He couldn't be any closer to the truth._

"_I know." Sakura finally said after thinking about it a bit. "But…." She crossed her arms. "I need to think a bit; try to clear my head so I don't look like a fool when I get there. I can't be with anyone; sorry."_

_Touya groaned as he then started walking down the hallway. "Damn brat. Fine, but I'll get some money for you if you decide to be smart and take a cab or something." His footsteps echoed the hallway._

_Yukito looked after him with a mixed expression. It was the very first time Touya's letting Sakura go without much of a fight. He should be happy but he's not; not with the situation at hand. He glanced back at the girl. She looked as shocked at the whole thing. He then sighed. "As much as I'm slightly happy about Touya being mature about this, you can't ignore the fact that he's worried for you." He then walked up to the girl and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you sure you want to go alone?"_

_Sakura slightly blushed at the contact but held the determination. "Yes."_

"_Then you should get going." Yukito said softly. "Just promise me that you'll get home safely, for your brother's sake. Okay?"_

_For a moment, just a moment, the girl looked like she wanted to cry. But she held back. Instead she nodded. "Okay."_

* * *

[30 minutes ago]

_Sakura was about halfway to Yuui's house. The sun was about to set and the streetlights were starting to light up. She clenched her jacket a bit more tightly. Spring nights were very cold; as if winter was still there. But she held her head high and continued walking. She needed to talk to Yuui. He needed to know…no….it was more like she just wanted to talk and Yuui seemed like the only person she can completely trust as a time like that. It was selfish for her to do that to Yuui who in turn had no one to talk to about his problems._

_But still…._

"_Maybe I should text him that I'm coming." Sakura decided. "That way it won't look weird when I come." She walked towards a convenient store. Her stomach growled and she blushed. She really was a glutton. "Let's see….Nii-san gave me about thirty bucks and his bus card…" She frowned and shrugged. "I guess I'll get something sweet like a cookie and maybe a soda."_

* * *

[15 minutes ago]

_Sakura left the store with a soda in her hand and a cookie in her mouth. She spent a good chunk there trying to figure out what kind of soda she wanted. She ended up with grape. She then quickened her pace as the sun was touching the horizon. _

_In just a few minutes, she finally reached Yuui's place. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath before putting the soda into her bag and finishing off her cookie. She dusted off the crumbs on her jacket and cleared her throat._

"_It's now or never."She went to the front door and raised her hand. Shyly she knocked on the door. She then heard some laughter and movements from inside the house. She briefly wondered if Yuui had his other friends over to hang out. But….he never mentioned any other friends that he might have._

_Something just doesn't seem right._

_It felt like an eternity before Sakura heard the door lock click and the door opening. She straighten herself and putting up a smile. As the door opened what she saw wasn't Yuui at all._

_It was someone completely different._

_The person on the other side of the door was just as shock as she was. He gaped a few times, trying to speak but words wouldn't come out of his mouth._

_Taking a shallow breath, Sakura uttered something that she thought was the right thing to say at the time. "S-Syaoran….is that you?"_

_Unfortunately, it just made things worse._

_The girl saw the boy's face pale and his eyes widened. But the look of his eyes…they showed a bit of confusion, fear and….sadness. This wasn't the Syaoran that she knew and cared for. If that was the case…._

_Then who is this person in front of her?_

* * *

[Syaoran's perspective]

"_Syaoran…is that you?"_

_The boy felt the color from his face drain completely as the girl's words left her mouth. What should he say? Should he lie? It was the perfect method when they go from world to world and it worked almost every time. But there was one thing…._

…_.never once he wanted to lie to the one person he sacrificed so much for._

_The girl before him though wasn't Sakura….even though there's no denying the fact that she looked exactly like her; the eyes, the hair, the air around her, the same. But she wasn't _the _Sakura. His Sakura was still waiting for him at Clow; hoping that he would return. Just standing all day and dreaming at night; just wanting to see him again. Sakura….all alone….without him to hold her tight and smile that brilliant smile…._

_Before he knew it, he felt a gentle hand touch his face. He blinked back to reality to see the look-alike looking over at him with concern._

"_Are you okay…?" The look-alike said softly. "You're starting to cry and…." She trailed off as she wiped some of the tears from his face._

_Syaoran touched his face, now aware that he was indeed crying. He closed his eyes as he felt a new wave of tears just waiting to come out. He held it back down and looked at the girl. He then sighed as a small smile was on his face. "T-Thank you. I…well um…."_

_The girl smiled back as she retreated her hand. "It's nothing."_

_The two shared an awkward laugh before silence took over. They looked at each other with some hope that the one would say something._

_Finally, the girl sighed a bit. "Um….is Yuui here? I wanted to see him."_

_Syaoran rubbed the back of his head with a frown. "Sorry but you just missed him." He shifted his eyes. "He went to the store to buy some food….he ran out." He cleared his throat. "Might I ask who you are; just so I can tell him that you came here."_

_The girl smiled a bit. "My name's….Sakura." She then saw Syaoran's expression darken a bit. "Oh I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"_

_The boy's slightly dark look went away as quickly as it came. He cleared his throat. "Oh no. I'm sorry. Nothing's wrong. It's just that you reminded me of a person who had the same name; that's all."_

_Sakura nodded; but felt a bit uneasy. "Might I ask what your name is?"_

_The boy was then torn between lying and exploiting himself in front of her. He gulped. "You can call me….Tsubasa." He said hesitantly. "I been around and people started calling me that. And it stuck." A half-truth and a half-lie. He knew that there was a Syaoran in this world but to utter the name of the one who came here first…he didn't deserve it….not now at least._

"_Tsubasa…" Sakura muttered. She let out a small smile. "I see. It means 'wings' right?" When 'Tsubasa' nodded she sighed. "I think that's a lovely name. You do look like the person who would just fly away and go exploring till your heart's content." She then crossed her arms. "Well, I should be going now. If Yuui's not here I can come back tomorrow. It's late as it is." She turned around, starting to walk home._

_But she barely got down the first-step as a hand gently grabbed her._

_Sakura turned around with wide-eyes at the boy who looked just as shocked as she was at the action._

"_I—Uh…..um…" Syaoran hesitated. He didn't know what he was doing. He just grabbed her as if she'll disappear. But now that he had her, he had no idea what to say. So he then went with what his heart would say. "I…You can talk to me." He finally said. "I mean, I may not know everything and I may not understand much but I know you wanted to talk to someone. I…I'll listen to whatever you have to say."_

_The girl blinked at those words. She looked at the hand to the boy's eyes before glancing at the sidewalk in front of her. She then looked at Syaoran with a small smile. "Alright. You have a point and you're kind enough to want to listen."_

_Syaoran then let go of the girl and smiled sheepishly. "No problem." He then stepped back. "Would you like to come in?"_

_The girl shook her head. "Actually, I would like to talk with you somewhere else…if you don't mind."_

_The boy frowned a bit. This was not what he expected. He didn't want to go alone with her when his heart as already aching at the mere presence of her. But the girl did come to Yuui's house to talk for a reason and it was getting late. She must want to get something out of her chest. With a bit of determination, Syaoran stepped forward and closed the door behind._

"_Lead me the way…..Sakura."_

* * *

[Present time]

"So you basically let Syaoran go with her."

Fai smiled apologetically as he placed a cup of tea in front of Watanuki; who in turn thanked him and started drinking. "What else can I do? This wasn't something that any of us can intervene with." He lowered his eyes. "She wanted someone but it wasn't you….well not anymore."

Yuui leaned back on the chair and sighed. "But couldn't you at least help the poor boy? From your standpoint, he just saw another version of that person who he's caring for and it's hurting him."He glanced at Watanuki who was uncharacteristically quiet. "I mean….he's your _friend_."

The mage nodded but a smile graced his lips. "That's' true. But Syaoran made no move to alert any of us." He laced his fingers together. "And it was quite obvious that 'Sakura' didn't see us either. But I guess it didn't matter either way because at some level, it was meant to happen; their meeting that is." He looked up at Yuui who was a bit confused. "I'm not sure if this applies to your world but this has happened many times. There's no such thing as coincidence. Only-"

"Inevitability." Watanuki muttered. "That everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance. We are all have a path to follow but we can make our choices in life. We only live once. And nothing should be wasted." The teen looked up and saw two pairs of Sapphire eyes staring at him in awe. He blinked before his face turned red with embarrassment. "S-sorry! It's just that I was told that before not too long ago but the words just seem to be pouring out of me for some reason!"

Fai laughed as Yuui chuckled.

Watanuki just drank the rest of his tea with the blush still present.

"Even so, that is true." Yuui said with a small frown. "Maybe this is what Syaoran needed. Being away for so long without your other can really put some heavy weight on your shoulders. Not to mention all the pain and misery he has been through."

"Syaoran is special." Fai muttered. "He will do anything to keep his beloved safe; even if it means him dying in the process."

"…He sounds a lot like the Syaoran I know." Watanuki said. "He…he has a crush on Sakura ever since he came here and went to the academy. The two would look so happy together but he would never make a move." He chuckled. "I told him once just to ask her out but he said no. He valued their friendship and her more then his own selfish needs. He's like that; a bit of a hero sometimes."

Fai chuckled. "Yes; a hero. There's _one_ word to describe him."

Yuui mulled over what Fai and Watanuki had said. Different versions, same being. It was hard to believe that the Syaoran he knew and the Syaoran he met were so similar. Almost nothing sets them apart from the other. The traveler has been through much while the other just trying to make the most of it. And in Sakura's case…..wasn't that the same ordeal?

The mage and the teenager jumped as Yuui got up and took his jacket.

"Whoa Yuui; where are you going?" Fai asked with a knowing smile.

The cooking teacher touched the doorknob before stopping. "I…..I'm going to go for a walk. It's been a while since I've done that." He turned to the others. "Watanuki; you stay overnight if you want. And Fai, if the others wake up; make sure you inform them of what just happened; okay?"

"Aye Aye captain." Fai shouted.

"Ah! T-thank you, Yuui-sensei!" Watanuki stuttered. "But it's fine! I can go home since it is getting late—"

"Watanuki…." Yuui said with a singsong voice. "I wouldn't have said if I wasn't offering. Besides I hate for you to go out now since it just got cold." He smiled softly. "Just stay until the morning okay?"

Watanuki shyly nodded.

With that, Yuui went outside and shut the door behind him.

"Now that he's gone," Fai smirked as he took the tea cup from Watanuki. "How about we talk about this dream of yours that you had not too long ago?"

The teen was flabbergasted. "What the—how do you know about….?"

With a finger on his lips, the mage's eyes darkened just a bit. "Like I said before, a little bird told us."

* * *

Yuui walked as fast as he can towards the park. If he knew anything about Sakura, he knew that she'd go there if she wanted to clear her mind or spend some time alone in peace. In fact, most of his friends would go there when they are not well-emotionally-. There was even a time when he found his brother there when he had an argument with the gym teacher.

Eventually he caught sight of a slide and a set of swings. He's getting close. As he got near one of the benches, something stopped him in his tracks. Panicking a bit, Yuui ran to a nearby tree and hid himself. He looked over and calmed himself down.

There they are, Syaoran and Sakura.

His first instinct was to go there and help Syaoran since technically it was his fault that he left the poor boy in the situation. However he narrowed his eyes as he saw the two smiling, but more so they were laughing as well. Like they're having a good time. With that in mind, Yuui leaned on the bark and listened in on the conversation.

Just in case things turn for the worst.

* * *

"So Tsubasa," Sakura started. "How long have you been staying at Yuui-sensei's house?"

'Tsubasa' chuckled nervously. "Well for a few days. My friends and I were just dropping by the town and we ran into him. In the process we made him drop his groceries. As an apology we wanted to help." He felt his heart twinge a bit at the lie he was spurting out. "But he apologized as well and invited us to stay since we just arrived. We declined but he wouldn't take no for an answer."

Sakura giggled; making 'Tsubasa' smile. "That's just like Yuui-sensei. He's so kind and caring." She shifted a bit as she moved a bit closer to the boy. "So….why did you come to this town? Were you on vacation or something?"

The boy hesitated a bit. "Well….not really. We were looking for something." He looked at her with a serious expression. "You see….we lost something and we're finding a way to get it back." He lowered his eyes. "I promised her that I'll return when that happens. That's why my friends and I are….traveling; a lot actually."

"Oh I see." Sakura nodded. "That must be so painful; leaving someone you cared about to go on some sort of mission." She leaned back. "You don't want to go but you feel like you have no choice." She glanced at the boy. "Was someone making you take this journey?"

'Tsubasa' blinked. "W-Well no….but it might as well have been someone. I mean, I made a huge mistake and I have to pay for it."

"But it was just a mistake." Sakura said with a frown. "Surely it wasn't that big of a mistake that you have to leave her behind." She blinked as the boy hung his head. "Tsubasa…"

"Forgive me for saying this," He started. "But you have no idea how big of a mistake I have made." He started to tremble a bit. "I almost got her killed; all of them, my friends, her family and everything in-between. And in the process a couple more lives were lost. They just disappeared. And I felt responsible." He clenched his hands. "So I made it my mission to find them and return to her. That's my goal."

Sakura looked at 'Tsubasa' with a sad expression. She then made a bold move and placed her hands over the boy's. "But you seem so sad and hurt. You don't have to go through this if you don't want to." She smiled weakly. "You can't do this if your heart's not into it." She took her hand and gently touched his face. "I can see it. You're tired, frustrated and home-sick. I've seen it in a certain person before and not a day goes by that I didn't wish for him to be happy. You deserve to be happy too."

'Tsubasa' leaned into the touch. "But I can't just stop half-way. I have done terrible things. Things that people should be disgusted at me for. I want to make it up for it somehow. I want….I want it to be over." He can feel tears coming out of his eyes as he lowered his eyes.

"Oh Tsubasa…." Sakura started. "You're so hard on yourself. Please don't cry. You shouldn't be so down. I may not understand what you're going through….but I think….that you shouldn't let the choices that you made drag you down for the run of your life. Yes, you've made bad ones; we all have and we live with them but we _live_." She sighed. "My mother told me that once…not long before she passed away."

The boy snapped his head up to see Sakura close to crying herself. He felt terrible for making her relive that pain. "I….I'm sorry." He then heard the girl laugh and shaking her head.

"No, it's fine." Sakura reassured the boy. "It wasn't like it happened so suddenly." She looked away. "My mom had been ill for quite some time. Eventually it became too much for her." She sighed. "She never wanted to go. She didn't want to say good-bye. I think anyone who had died or are dying has thought of that at some point: 'I don't want to go. I want to stay'. But there was nothing we could do." She frowned. "That's why you shouldn't waste your life on this mission of yours. If it's not that important to you then why bother continue? You should be happy with both yourself and with that girl you care about. Life is short, Tsubasa." She said. "Make it the best that it can be before it's too late."

'Tsubasa' blinked. Never in his wildest imagination would those kinds of words of a girl who looked like his beloved. It felt like _she_ was there right in front of him and telling him what's what. In hind-sight, there wasn't really anything that was holding him back; only himself. But then the price he made; he and _Watanuki_ both. What if he goes back to Clow and stays? What would happen to _Watanuki_ if he did and what will happen to his friends; where will they go? He didn't want to go back on both his word and that price he paid.

But what of Sakura?

What about his dear beloved?

How can he continue when he knew in his heart that all she wanted was for him to just come home? When he knew she was just hurting as he was; maybe more?

He didn't know what to do.

What will he choose?

Which path will he take now?

"I'm sorry…"

Those gentle words brought back the boy as he then stared into those jade-green eyes.

"I never should have said that." Sakura shook her head. "I just….I know that I'm in no position to talk to you like that since I barely know you." She was about to scoot away when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked back and saw the most genuine smile that she has ever seen on the boy.

"No." 'Tsubasa' replied. "Thank you. I needed to hear those words." He then chuckled. "It's funny; all this time I thought that I knew what I was doing and was fully aware of the consequences of my actions. But then when I really think about and hearing it from you and one other person." 'Tsubasa' coughed. "I just…kinda lost track of the actual path, you know? I mean I do want to complete my mission and all but I guess it's not worth it; not when I have that one person who is more important than anything to me." He then sighed. "But I can't just stop now. I need to see this through to the end. As much as it's hurting me on the inside; if I give up now, I'll never forgive myself. Sometimes you have to push your needs aside for ther greater good. That's what I have learned during my travels."

Sakura frowned for a moment before letting out a small smile. "Yes, you do have a point. There's no use doing things half-way once you start. But still..." She then sqeaked as her pocket started to vibrate. She fished into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She pressed a few buttons and stared at the screen for a second. Then she pouted. "Oh dear."

"What's wrong?" 'Tsubasa' asked.

"It was my brother." Sakura frowned. "He's angry because I didn't call him to let him know that I was at Yuui's house." She then giggled a bit. "Though it's kinda true." She then stood up. "But he just told me that I have to go home at once." She scoffed as she looked away. "I wish Touya would trust me a bit more."

'Tsubasa' chuckled as he stood up and walked up next to her. "Your bother's name is Touya?" When Sakura nodded, he softly smiled. "I'm sure that he's just worried about you. I would be too." He looked at the dark blue sky. "You walked alone; at late evening and didn't call at all. I think that would justify his concern; don't you think?" He slightly smirked at the girl's direction.

Sighing, Sakura smiled. "You're right. Even though he's a jerk, he _is_ my brother." She then looked up and down the street. "But now, I need a ride." She glanced at 'Tsubasa'. "Do you know how to get a cab? I never took one before."

_'Your guess is as good as mine since I never taken a 'cab' either.'_ 'Tsubasa' thought but just shrugged at her. Suddenly he got an idea. "Wait a second." He walked a few steps forward and whistled as loudly as he could. He blinked as a yellow car came from the corner just a few seconds later. He shyly waved at it as it came closer. As it parked right in front of the pair, he looked at Sakura in surprise. "I...I honestly didn't think that would work."

The girl laughed as the two went to the car. As she opened the door, she spared one last glance at the boy. "Um...I guess this is good-bye."

"For now." 'Tsubasa' smiled. _'It's never really good-bye though, is it?'_

"For now." Sakura agreed. She then placed a chaste kiss on the boy's cheek; making said boy blush brightly. She looked at his face and giggled. "That was a thank you for listening and all." She then got into the car. "I hope the best for you 'Tsubasa." And with that she closed the door and the cab drove away, making the scenery darker once again.

_Tsubasa_ hesitantly lift his hand and touch the cheek that the girl kissed on. He felt his heart race a bit and a image of _his_ Sakura came into his mind. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I hope the best for you and _Syaoran_ as well. Thank you Sakura; for everything."

* * *

Yuui stared at the scene before him. Well _that's_ something he never expected. Of course what with things going on in his life already, it shouldn't that big of a surprise for him. But he couldn't help but smile though for Syaoran. To feel much better after an encounter with Sakura, he knew that he's happier then ever. But that innocent kiss the girl gave him made the teacher snicker quietly. Traveler from another world or not, he's still Syaoran. The blushing, easily flustered kid that he came to know and respect for.

But now that the worse has past and Sakura was returning to her home, should he returning too? He knew from the start that it wasn't really nice to listen in on a person's conversation. But a part of him just worried so much of what would have happened if he _didn't. _With a quiet sigh, Yuui started walking out of the shadows and into the street lights.

Only to feel a tap on his shoulder.

"I was wondering when you'll pop out."

Yuui flinched as he turned his head to see Syaoran smiling at him. "Oh Syaoran...fancy meeting you here." He nervously chuckled.

"I know." Syaoran agreed. "Funny how _coincidental _it was that you would just happen to drop by her and just _happen_ to be near that bench where I was and probably heard everything from that tree over there." He smiled. "Sorry but I don't think you just came by coincidence."

Sighing, Yuui sighed. "How long have you known that I was there?"

"Since the beginning." Syaoran said. "I was trained by Japan's best warrior after all." He then grinned. "And no offense; but you do kinda breathe a bit too loudly."

The cooking teacher hung his head in embarrassment. '_No wonder brother could find me so easily whenever we played hide-and-seek.'_ "Okay, fine. I'm the worst spy ever. Please forgive me if I wasn't stealthy enough." He then looked at Syaoran with concern. "But really; I was worried about you. Was everything okay?"

"Yeah, actually." Syaoran said. "Well it started off awkward because the first thing she asked was...who answered your phone that night." He glanced at Yuui with a sorry look. "I...I might have answered your phone since you were sleeping and all." He chuckled nervously. "I guess if i haven't then we wouldn't be out here in the cold huh? S-sorry." He muttered.

Yuui sighed as he crossed his arms. "No...that's fine. I guess it's my fault to putting you in that position like that." He then smiled. "But I guess if that didn't happen you never would've gotten the courage to go with Sakura and thus feeling better right?"

Syaoran laughed. "Yeah, that's true. I actually feel happier now that I faced my fear; in a way." He then sneezed. "But she told me the reason for calling you that night?"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah." Syaoran sighed. "She wanted to call you so she can talk to you. She then said something about your brother wanting to keep you up all night because of this one time or something."

Yuui had to roll his eyes at that. _'Even away, brother will find a method to annoy me greatly.'_ He then sighed. "Well since my brother started this whole fiasco, we can just blame him for it." He lightly joked.

"Haha. Fine with me." Syaoran agreed.

The two walked in silence for a few moments; enjoying the calm atmosphere.

"Hey Syaoran..."

"Yes?"

"I wanted to ask but...that name you used when you were with Sakura." Yuui asked. "Why did you make her call you 'Tsubasa'? I mean, I'm happy that you lie to her completely about yourself but you didn't have to fake your name. She wouldn't know."

"She did." Syaoran interuppted. "When we started talking, she told me that she kinda knew that I wasn't the Syaoran that she befriended. If that were the case then the whole situation would've been different. Right? Besides I told her all that I can. I didn't expect her to fill in the holes or to understand. It just came out of me. That's all."

"Okay, so she did know." Yuui said. "But that doesn't explain-"

For a mere moment, Yuui saw Syaoran's eyes glazed with an emotion that he didn't know the boy had. But it was gone as quickly as it came. "...Syaoran...?"

"I'm sorry." Syaoran said. "I...we haven't been very truthful to you Yuui." He sadly smiled. "There are secrets...secrets about us that for a while didn't even tell each other about. That includes everything; even the very things we call ourselves by."

"'Even the very things we call ourselves by.'" Yuui repeated. "But that doesn't make sense, if you guys have been lying about a few things then that would mean..." He paused as the pieces of the puzzle started falling into place. He stared at Syaoran with disbelief. "No way..."

Syaoran nodded. "We are travelers. Outcasts in every world. Our past shaped us into being but it was our choices that made us into _who_ we are. We cast away what was the truth to protect ourselves but it came back to us when we thought it would never would. And we paid heavily for that. After all...nothing ever goes away completely; does it?"

* * *

A sceam was heard from an alley way. A figure pushed away a trashcan as the body leaned onto the brick wall behind. One hand tried to grip the material while the other gripped the chest; the heart in pain and misery.

A pair of eyes trying to look around as its vision started to clear.

_What is this place?_

_Why am I here?_

_Who am I?_

Then those eyes fell upon a pair that wasn't too far away. One with brown hair and a gentle smile while the other blonde with a ponytail and familar blue eyes. Those two look like people he sort of remembered.

_They...they almost look like..._

Suddenly a new wave of pain rushed through the body as a flood of memories surged into the skull. The figure then curled up into ball; muttering over and over to make it stop. With teeth gnashing and fingers gripping tightly around the cranium, the figure thought that it was death coming. But then it stopped and came a memory.

_That's right._

_I was dead._

_Everyone disappeared._

_The plan failed._

_The master had me **killed.**_

_I was nothing more then a pawn to him._

_A puppet._

_A **plaything.**_

_And then they had to ruin everything._

_It wasn't my fault._

_I didn't want this!_

_I only wanted to obey my master._

_It's...it's..._

A sick smile came across the clouded face. A dark chuckle echoed in the black corner of the alley way.

_It's that boy's fault._

_He ruin the plan._

_He made the master turn against me._

_He made everyone disappear._

_He made that clone kill me._

_He was the cause of all the pain and suffering that I endured._

_I make him **pay** for what he did to me._

The figure stood up and walked out of the alleyway. Glancing at the retreating pair, the smile became darker and more maleviolent then it was humanly possible.

_He_ grinned.

"Well, well. I guess there's always a second chance for everyone. Might as well take full advantage to it while I'm up and about." And with that, he walked to the opposite direction with a skip in his step. His eyes filled with mischief and wrath.

_'You **will** pay for what you have done to me...**Syaoran.**'_

* * *

**_TBC_**

* * *

Guess who _that_ was? XD

**Don't forget to review and check my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^**


	11. Omake 3

Here's that Omake that I promised.

Now that I got some encouraging reviews (that doesn't mean I haven't got them before; I'm just saying.) I now know how this story will all end. Want to find out? You'll just have to read when it comes. XD

Mean, aren't I?

For now, Enjoy~!

* * *

**Omake 3: Watanuki's conversation**

* * *

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"I assure you…I'm not."

"But that's impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible….it's only impossible if you believe it is."

A pause.

"Did it work?"

"No."

"Damn it!"

The mismatched-eyed shopkeeper chuckled at the reaction his apparently other self was having. "Don't act so surprised. Unlike us, there's bound to be more versions of Doumeki in every world." _'And god-forbid if I have to meet more than one of them….' _He thought angrily to himself. "Believe me, I'm not any happier about the situation then you are."

"Really?_ You're_ unhappy? How do you think _I_ feel?" Watanuki argued. "I've been with the jerk since we were _kids_. You have the luxury of just meeting him in _high school_." He shouted. "Not to mention he eats like a pig, very insensitive and is freaking popular no matter what he does. He can have an expression of a brick and girls throw panties at him!"

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Try dealing with an _older_ Doumeki who hangs out at your permanent house, drinking his ass off and practically stuffing his face on everything you've cook. And with Mokona around I have _two_ gaping blackholes that'll never get full!"

Watanuki paled. "Oh god, an _older_ Doumeki? I can barely handle the one that's my age right now!" Then a thought came to him. "Oh god, what if we get stuck together when we get older? I can't stand that! Imagine; just being with him as long as you live! I'd kill myself!"

"….ahem."

"Oh…sorry."

"Look, it's not the end of the world." The shopkeeper calmly said. "And before you _scream_ it out, most likely fate didn't dealt you with a joker card…..though from your perspective, it might as well been." _'Among…other things.' _He added mentally.

Taking that statement into consideration (_major consideration_), Watanuki finally calm down a little. "Fine. I guess….with everything I'm going through and what you already know; it couldn't get any worse."He then chuckled. "I mean it's not like I'll marry the jerk, right?"

"…."

Watanuki paled at the expression the shop-keeper was expression. "You're joking!"

"I am." The shopkeeper smiled.

The poor teen held his chest with a tight grip. "God…don't scare me like that!" He then sighed. "I don't think I can keep up with all the fake scares."

"Oh please." The shopkeeper scoffed. "Compare to my experiences, you're only getting a sudden tap on the shoulder." His expression then softened. "Sometimes, I missed those….everything that I have ever known and loved had been withering away before my very eyes."

Blinking at the tone change, Watanuki went up to the shopkeeper and sat down in front of him. "How long has it been?"

A small sad smile reached the other man's face. "It's been so long that I forgot to keep track." He then waved his hand around and an orb of light appeared. "So long that I can do this perfectly."

Watanuki stared in awe. "You mean magic, right?"

"Yep."

"Did you ever want to be a shopkeeper?" Watanuki asked.

Frowning a bit, the shopkeeper shook his head. "I didn't much choice in the matter; not that I care either way." He then snapped his fingers and the orb disappeared. "I wanted to grant her wish after all."

"Her?" Watanuki was a bit confused. "So…you did all of this for a girl?"

"You'd be surprised of the men who would do anything; even risk their lives just for someone they loved; unrequited or otherwise." Then the shopkeeper then sighed. "But yes, in simple terms, I did."

Watanuki whistled. "Wow, she must be very special if it meant you to be a magical shopkeeper or something?"

"Special?" The shopkeeper chuckled. "Oh no. If anything, she's too indescribable for words." He then sighed. "If you think Doumeki's bad, try being a slave to a woman who drinks like a fish, eats like a pig and is worse than your average _boring_ professor at whatever school you're in right now."

"That bad?" Watanuki cringed.

"She makes getting you balls cut off look less suffering." The shopkeeper groaned. "At least when you get them cut off, you won't have to deal with the pain anymore."

"….I'm not sure what to be more freaked out of." Watanuki uttered. "How bad that chick was or that you made a very gruesome but somehow accurate analogy."

"But you get my point, right?"

"In a weird way, yeah."

The shopkeeper chuckled a bit. "Despite her bad points, she was a very good person. I owe her everything for all she's done for me…..in a figurative way." He then added after a short pause.

Watanuki snorted. "Right."

"I know that your life has gotten a bit…dull and dreary…" The shopkeeper said. "And that your head's probably hurting with the things I'm telling you but believe me when I say that there's nothing to worry." He smiled. "Unlike me, you'll have a…semi-normal life."

"You say semi-normal like something _will_ happen."

"With Doumeki as your best friend and chairman that's making _you_, her slave; can you blame for being truthful?" The shopkeeper shrugged.

"…" Watanuki blinked. "Yeah… you're right about that." He then crossed his arms. "Doesn't mean I like it one bit, though."

"Don't worry. I didn't like the arrangement either. And life's like that. You don't get what you always want." The shopkeeper said with a strained smile. "But never mind that, how about we talk about something more….uplifting?"

"Like what exactly?"

"Like maybe….that girl you're friends with…now what was her name again?" The shopkeeper fakely pondered. "Hima-something or other…."

"Himawari~!" Watanuki suddenly cheered out. "That's her name. And a great name it is~!"

"Really?" The shopkeeper said with a smirk. "Do tell."

"Yeah, it means 'sunflower'." And Watanuki swooned. "And it fits her, she had this beautiful smile that lights up the night sky and her hair looks like perfect silk compared to others and that she's very nice and is very popular in fact there's this one time that…."

The shopkeeper leaned back let his counterpart talk about his crush with a knowing smile. _'It's been a long time since I was like that; just worrying about the little things like girls and grades. When that disappeared? Well no matter. I'm glad that I got to be here with this Watanuki.'_

Then the shopkeeper frowned at a sudden thought hit him.

'_But I'm not sure if I have the heart tell him that the Himawari I know up and got married with another man….surely it won't happen to his world's Himawari….right?'_

One could only imagine.

* * *

**END**

* * *

I predict a waterfall of tears and over-dramatic whining from you-know-who. Just saying. XD

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^**


	12. A miscalculation

This is now the turning point of the plot that you've more or less waiting for.

This will possibly shock up to a point that I'll expect some 'WTF?' from.

Oh and the first part are mixes of lines of XXXHolic, Tsubasa and my own imagination.

You'll either love me or hate me for this.

Regardless, enjoy~!

_*Never stay up all night writing and posting. You'll be a wrack after-wards!*_

* * *

**A miscalculation **

* * *

"_Something can't be born from nothing…..for every wish a price must be paid…."_

"_No one has the power to bring the dead back to life; not even the ones we call gods…."_

"_Didn't I tell you not to cause unnecessary death?"_

"_Hey Yuui, look at that; a shooting star~!"_

"_Are we cursed? Twins who plunged the world into chaos? Just because we exists?"_

"_I'll get all your feathers back, princess. I promise…."_

"_Welcome to the Horitsuba academy….my name is Yuuko Ichihara." _

"_Why do I have to be with that jerk? If anyone's causing my bad luck; it's him!"_

"_I told you; it doesn't matter to me about your past; I don't care about that! I care about you!"_

"_If I forgive him then we'll be close to each other again. I can't do that to him; not anymore."_

"_I'm so sorry about your parents, Yuui….."_

"_Yuuko please! You can't just die. There are people who need you!"_

"_I love you Kurogane…I really do love you…."_

"_I'll return to you, Sakura. I'll make sure of that."_

"_There's no such thing as coincidence…only inevitability…."_

"_We have to make a choice….on what we're going to do from now on….."_

"_My sweet little boy…."_

"_My true name is…..!"_

"_I will stay in this shop until she returns."_

"_Nothing ever goes away; does it?"_

"_I'm sorry…brother."_

* * *

Yuui groaned softly as his eyes opened slowly. It was morning; early morning to be exact as the rays of the sun was shining through the living room window. His eyes then landed on the couch where there was someone sleeping on it. After a few seconds, he realized it wasn't him. Blinking, Yuui sat up from the make-shift bed on the floor and rubbed his head. _'Why aren't I on the couch….?' _

Then it hit him.

"Oh yeah…." Yuui muttered. "I let Watanuki stay the night." He raised his head a bit higher and smiled. It really was Watanuki; sleeping soundly on the couch without a care. Chuckling softly at the scene, Yuui got up and folded the blankets and set them next to the couch. He stretched a bit before walking to the kitchen.

He went to the refrigerator and checked the contents inside. "I wonder what the others want for breakfast." He leaned back as he closed the fridge door. "We already had pancakes, omelets and waffles. Maybe I should bake some pastries…but that'll take too long…or maybe…."

Just then the phone rang.

Sighing, Yuui walked to the stand and picked up the phone. "Fluorite residence; Yuui speaking."

"**Good morning Yuui~!**"

"Oh hey brother." Yuui smiled. "I see that you're in a good mood. How's your vacation going so far?"

"**Of course I'm in a good mood! When was I not?**" Can't argue with that. "**Besides I just came back from a restaurant that had very good wine~! But Kurgs hasn't come back yet."**

'_That's odd.' _Yuui thought. _'Normally Kurogane will stick to brother so he wouldn't go into any trouble.' _ "Is that so; did you two go together?" He asked.

"**Of course~! We had a lovely dinner and we talked; actually talked. Even Kuro-love spoke more than a sentence. I'm so proud of him~!" **Then there was a pause. **"But just afterwards, he had seemed to have disappeared."**

Now _that_ was very odd of the gym teacher to do. "Well I'm sure that he went for a walk so something. You know Kurogane." Yuui smirked. "Once he's nice and valuable, he'll try anything to forget that he had ever done all of those things. He's a prideful man."

A scoff was heard on the other end. "**That man, honestly.**" Then Fai chuckled. "So how's life on the other side of the world? You're doing okay?"

"Yeah." Yuui said. "I'm doing fine; better actually." Then he remembered something. "Speaking of, something interesting happened. Apparently _someone_ inform Sakura about my emotional status and she came to my house to _talk_. Do you know anything about it?" He smirked as there was silence on the other end. "Brother~, did you send one of our friends to check up on me~?"

"…**.Maybe**." Came the quiet voice on the other end.

"Brother…." Yuui sighed. "I know that you're worried about me what with everything happening but believe me when I tell you that _I am fine_." He then rubbed his head. "I've told you before; we're not kids anymore. I'm not the little brat that would come running to you everytime something goes wrong. I've grown up. We may be brothers but we're not attached to the hip. You have to trust me Fai; okay? Please?"

There was another pause of silence before a sigh was heard. "**I know. I know that, Yuui. We're not kids and we can't pretend to be or relive our childhoods. But you're not being truthful either.**" A sniffle. "**There's nothing wrong with coming to me when you have a problem. There's nothing wrong with being close again like we were s many years ago. And there's certainly nothing wrong about knowing that it's not fine.**"

"…." Yuui was speechless. He didn't think that his brother would see that their relationship as a family being strained. He just didn't say anything because he was scared. "I….you don't know anything brother."

"**You say that but we both know that you're in pain and that you don't want anyone else to see that. Otherwise they would think less of you.**" Fai's solemn voice said. "**And that's my fault. I'm sorry. I made you into this. I made you think that masking your pain and shoving into the depths of your mind would help you. But you took our parent's death harder then I realized. I should've known. You're mommy's favorite afterall."**

It took a few moments for Yuui's mind and heart to catch up on those words. It made him feel sad to know that not only his brother _knew_ he wasn't fine but that he knew what he in turmoil about. "If that's the case…why didn't you….?"

A chuckle on the other end. "**You're my brother; part of my blood. When was the last time we actually talked about our feelings to each other?**"

The very statement made Yuui laugh; if a bit bitter on the side. "You're right. We're the Fluorites. The kind of people who hidden darker secrets then kids hide their most precious candy."

* * *

_Fai_ sighed as he continued to watch Yuui talked to his other self on the phone. _'So he knew Yuui wasn't fine and got Sakura to be sort of a lackey so if Yuui needed anyone, he can talk to her. But why didn't he use Watanuki then?'_ He then assumed that the other Fai thought that Watanuki might be too busy to help Yuui so he called Sakura instead. However he realized that he and Yuui were a bit alike.

In the sense that they mask their pain to keep everyone else in the dark.

This is what he got for waking up and deciding to go to the kitchen first.

Not wanting to eavesdrop further, Fai tip-toed back to the main bedroom; not wanting to make a noise and letting Yuui know who else was there. He didn't think that things could get any worse the longer the group stayed in the house. Sure they felt better than they ever were before coming but what about Yuui? He talked to them when they need someone….why can't it be the other way around as well?

As he reached the bedroom door, Fai grabbed the doorknob and opened the door and saw that four pair of eyes watching him enter. Ordinarily, any other person would be freaked out at the fact there were only three people in the traveling group. However, Fai smiled knowingly as he closed the door behind him. "Why _Watanuki_," He said. "I didn't think you'd be up this early."

The projection coming out of Mokona's jewel was noticeable at best. In the projection was the shopkeeper; Watanuki. The seemingly immortal teen laughed softly as he put on his glasses. "I know. It's been a first since….goodness knows how long."

Syaoran smiled as Fai took a seat next to Kurogane. "I was in here with Mokona, talking to Kurogane about my encounter with the other Sakura like I told you last night when Watanuki called. He said that he had something important to talk to us about."

Fai raised an eyebrow. "Really? Do tell." He leaned on Kurogane's metal shoulder. The man refused to wear a shirt to sleep. "Is it important that you woke up early for?"

"In fact yes." Watanuki frowned grimly. "Something bad happened." He then sighed. "I….this isn't something even I saw coming. One moment there was nothing and the next…." He rubbed his head in irritation. "I haven't been this confused since I met Doumeki." He growled at the name.

"Don't stall us damn it." Kurogane grunted. "Just what the hell happened that got you so confused?"

Watanuki cleared his throat as he placed his hands on his lap. "There's a being out there." He started. "A being that should have been dead. The being is reborn…." His voice darkened a bit. "And he wants revenge for the death of his master."

The room dropped a few degrees as looks of fear were apparent on everyone's faces.

"He lives, he remembers, he _knows_." Watanuki continued. "And I'm afraid that you can't leave until he's gone. He's already caused some havoc and it's only a matter of time until he finds you and kills."

"What happens if he does find us?" Fai quietly asked.

For a moment, Watanuki frowned. Then he out on the saddest smile the travelers had seen on him. "Even I don't know the outcome to that situation. I just pray that it wouldn't come to that."

* * *

_The figure darkly smiled at the bleeding corpse below him. Humans are so weak. They can be killed instantly is you know where to strike. He looked up and went inside._

_It was a weapon shop._

_He chuckled. Who knew that the man he killed was the owner of the store. Damn coincidence, this was _fate_. He broke the glass that was keeping him and the guns away from each other. Pistols, rifles, shotguns, machine guns; the shop had it all. But what to use to kill that boy?_

_He took a couple of hand pistols and looked over them. He wanted to end the boy's life but if he done it quickly it wouldn't be any fun. Why kill quickly when he can make the boy suffer while doing it? He took the two pistols and went looking for the bullets._

_He didn't care who was in the way._

_He didn't care how many more lives he had to take._

_He didn't care what consequences he'll face._

_All he cared about was finding Syaoran._

_And smile in glee when the boy's lifeless eyes will be staring back at him._

_Now it begins._

* * *

**There have been reports of people being killed in a most gruesome manner. The first victim was an owner of a weapons shop whose neck was snapped and his limbs were torn apart from the body. The limbs have still yet to be found. The other victims were found during late night into early morning with gunshot wounds to the head, heart, lungs and the stomach. The killer is still at large so everyone hearing this is advised to stay indoors until the culprit is captured by the police. And now for the weather…..**

Yuui and Watanuki exchanged glances as they continued cooking breakfast for the whole house. This was the first time that something that bad has ever happened in the town. The area itself was more or less a quiet and safe place to live. Yes, there were the occasional robberies and a carjack or two but a killer on the loose….

….Suddenly the quiet safe town was soon turning into a sitting duck for a psychotic killer.

"Guess that means you won't be going anywhere for awhile." Yuui said as he flipped a pancake. "Since the killer's out there, there's no telling where he'll be. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know." Watanuki said as he stirred the batter. "The last thing I want is some killer after me just because I was in the open. To be honest I am a little scared." He then gave Yuui the batter. "So if I haven't said it before; I'll say it again. Thank you so much for letting me stay here, Yuui."

The cooking teacher smiled. "No problem. I'm happy to have you here." He then heard a chuckle coming from the doorway.

The two looked over their shoulders to see Fai smirking with his arms crossed.

"Have I mentioned how cute the two of you are when you're cooking?" Fai asked with a smirk.

"Oh just shut it and help us with the pancakes will you?" Yuui jokingly said as he walked up to Fai and pushed the bowl at him. "And make sure the others come, we're having breakfast in the living room this time."

"Okay~!" Fai saluted.

* * *

_Blood._

_There's blood everywhere._

_And he loved it._

_He loved it a lot._

_He put the pistols away with a sick smile._

_Another life lost….given to his master._

_Master….._

_The wish can still come true._

_He was here after all._

_He still had a purpose._

_He had a goal._

_And he must_

_He'll wipe out the whole place_

_Just to get to the boy._

_The one._

_The only._

_Him._

* * *

"This _can't_ be possible!" Yuui shouted. "Mokona, I think you're cute and all but you can't eat all of the damn food!"

Watanuki and Syaoran stared in surprise. Despite being from different worlds, they knew how gluttonous Mokona can get. However it was apparent that Yuui didn't know first-hand. But then again….

Fai giggled with his mouth full while Kurogane just sighed and ate what's left of the pancakes he had. They should have warned poor Yuui about Mokona's giant hunger…..and it might be better if they didn't mention to him about the times that they were in buffets. The businesses were done for after a mere hour.

Sighing, Yuui just rubbed his head. "You all…will be the absolute death of me." He then glared at Fai who had the nerve to laugh at him. "I'm glad that you find this amusing."

"No, no. It's not like that." Fai laughed a bit. "It's just that to see you so out of your zone; it's very refreshing~!"

Yuui stopped for a second. Then he pouted. "You make it sound like I enjoy being off like that." He then turned around and went for his jacket.

"Where you're going?" Kurogane asked.

"I'm going to get _more_ food." Yuui said. "When this is all over, I'm asking the chairman for a big raise." He got the keys and started to the front door.

"Wait!"

All eyes went on Syaoran who had a face with concern. "But what about the killer that's on the loose? You could be murdered." He closed his eyes as he got a look of sadness and guilt coming from his blonde companion. "It's fine, we can just make something else. It's still morning after all."

Yuui thought for a second. He then groaned as he placed the jacket back and put the keys down. "I guess you're right. I kinda did overreact a bit huh?" He then yelped in surprise as Mokona hopped and he held out his hands out from instinct.

"That's okay~! Mokona's sorry about eating all of the food. I'll not eat too much again~!" She exclaimed as she then hopped onto his shoulder and nuzzled his face. "Yuui's too cute to be angry anyway~!"

The cooking teacher blushed as the rest of the group laughed at the scene.

However, Kurogane frowned. There was a look on Yuui's face. He saw it on Fai before. He didn't that look but at the same time he knew. He knew that saying something wouldn't make a difference either way. He knew what's going to happen.

Judging by the way Fai's smile was; he knew he wasn't the only one.

* * *

_Where is he?_

_Where is that boy?_

_I have to find him._

_I have to kill him._

_I want him in my hands._

_I want him to suffer._

_I want him to die._

_To rip his limbs apart._

_To put holes in him._

_To end his life._

_Like he caused the end of mine._

_I can't wait._

_I can't stop._

_I need to fulfill my purpose._

_To grant my master's wish._

_Only then…_

…_Will I have my own wish granted._

* * *

[Some hours later]

Yuui looked into the creak of the bedroom door, where he saw the rest of the group playing cards and having fun. He closed his eyes and frowned. He can't believe that he was doing this. He can't believe that he's going to go out and buy more food. There's a killer on the loose and here he is; doing something completely stupid and disregarding everyone's warnings.

Suddenly he felt like a teenager sneaking out of his parents' house.

He tip-toed into the living room and got his jacket and the keys. He got up to the front door and touched the doorknob. There was a moment of hesitation. Was he really going to do it? Was he really just throw caution to the wind; just like that?

He wasn't so sure anymore.

"I was right. People listen to you but you don't listen to them."

Yuui gasped and turned around to see Kurogane in front of him with his arms crossed. "I…h-hello there, Kurogane. I was just on my way out just going for a walk-"

"Do you think I'm that stupid?" Kurogane grunted. "I know what you're going to do. You're going out there and be out in the open while a killer's out there; thirsty for blood." He took two steps forward; making Yuui press his back against the door. "I respect you, Yuui. I respect you as much as any old friend I have ever made. But you proved to me that you're just like the idiot mage. You mask your pain, you think little of yourself and you don't listen to others when they actually care. And now, you're even putting your life on the line for something as little as just getting a few groceries. It's by far the stupidest thing you have ever done."

For a few seconds, Yuui didn't say anything. Then he looked up at the man. "Stupid, yes. Unbelievable, yes. But tell me this." He then sadly smiled. "If you knew something was wrong with the state of things such as that killer coming out of nowhere; wouldn't you want to find out who it is?"

"Well, yeah but—"

"And that killer had any relation to anyone like Fai for instance then would you want to stop that person from harming them?"

"Of course but-"

"Kurogane," Yuui interrupted. "I realized that in a lot of ways, I'm like Fai. But you have to realize that I'm not him and I never will. I don't think of killing myself all the time, I actually want to have friends. And I certainly don't give those ridiculous nicknames to that other Kurogane that I know, right?"

Kurogane sighed.

"Having you all with me made me feel a lot better about myself and gave me a lot to think about." Then Yuui turned away. "I'm glad that you all are here and I can't thank you enough for it." Suddenly he looked over his shoulder with a dark glare. "But I can't be afraid anymore. If something _does_ happen to me; no one should take the blame for me. It was my decision and my decision alone. Is that understood?"

The ninja didn't know what to make of that. So instead, he chuckled and gave him a half-smile. "Fine. You win. There's just no stopping you, is there?"

"Nope." Yuui smiled.

"Then be careful." Kurogane said with a frown. "Fai already lost his brother. I don't want the other one losing you."

Yuui nodded and left the house.

Kurogane sighed once more. The trip may have turned into something more; something sinister. He then heard the door closed behind him. He didn't dare turned around; he didn't even move a muscle. He knew who was watching and who was listening. He then for the first time begged for forgiveness and hoped with all of his might that the choice he made wasn't the one that'll lead his friend to death.

"I'm sorry….Fai."

* * *

_Master._

_Can you hear me master?_

_It's me; your faithful servant._

_Can't you see?_

_Can't you see what I'm doing._

_I'm killing._

_I'm killing for you._

_All for your wish._

_The wish to have her resurrected._

_So you can be happy._

_And I'll be happy to._

_It's not too late._

_It's never too late._

_I'll make that boy for the mess he caused you._

_And the pain he caused me._

_If he's gone then there's nothing stopping us._

_If he's dead then you can have her back._

_Please master…._

_Let me live for a while longer._

_I'll help you._

_Please just wait._

_Please….._

* * *

"That'll be sixty dollars."

"Sure."

"Be careful though. The killer is still out there and the cops haven't got him yet."

"Thank you. I'll be careful."

Yuui left the food shop with two bags of food. He walked as quickly as he could out of the range of that shop. He looked to his left then to his right. _'No killer here_._'_ He joked to himself. He supposed that if the killer wanted something from any store; he could have stayed in the city. But then again, most random killers have little to no motive.

So why kill and why now?

Shaking his head, Yuui continued to walk down the sidewalk. The faster he can get home the faster he can prove to everyone that he wasn't afraid. To show Kurogane that he wasn't at all like Fai. He can frown if he wanted, he can talk to others if he wanted and surely he can cry if he….wanted….

The cooking teacher stopped. "What am I doing?" He chuckled bitterly to himself. "I'm just letting my insecurities get the best of me. Brother's right. I'm not okay." Though it was late now, he knew that he was still the broken-down person that he was when his life turned upside down. He snapped at his brother and tried to kill him. He hid his emotions inside in fear that they'll burst out and when it came to him when people want him to talk; he'll just avoid it.

He didn't mean to be this way. If anything he thought he can be strong that way like his brother was. Though in truth they both how that ended.

"I can't do this anymore." Yuui muttered. "I can't just pretend that I'm happy when I'm just not." He then shook his head. "I want brother back, I want all my friends back, I don't want to be alone anymore. I just…" He lifted his arm and started crying. His defenses were down and he was falling.

_**Crying **_

_**Hurting **_

_**Loathing**_

_**Just what will he do now?  
**_

"Brother….dad….sissy….mommy…I need you, please! Please help me." Just as it was tearing Yuui apart, a soft warm voice spoke to him.

_[Yuui…it's okay Yuui. You don't have to say anything. Just let it out. You don't have to hold back just to keep me happy. Afterall how can I be when you're not?]_

He chuckled bitterly to himself. "You knew just what to say, mother." He sighed as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He knew that crying will get him nowhere. But it made him a bit better. He supposed that he really should listen to those who cared for him and loved him just like any other friend. He'd been hurting for so long that he forgot what it was like to actually be happy.

Well not anymore.

"If Fai got over it his past then I should too." Yuui said with a bit of a smile. "I'll go back and talk to him. Maybe he'll listen. Maybe they all can." He nodded to himself. "I'm not afraid anymore."

_*click*_

Yuui stopped in his tracks. He can hear a person's breathing behind him. His heart skipped a beat. He didn't have to turn around to know who was there even though he couldn't.

He didn't want a bullet through his head.

He then heard that person's sick chuckling from behind. The killer, he's here and he's holding him at gunpoint. Oh why didn't he listen to Kurogane and stayed home while he had the chance? He didn't want to die. Not here….not now.

'_I'm sorry brother. I did something stupid and now I'm going to pay for it. I'm sorry.'_

As he was praying to no one in particular, Yuui held his breath as the killer started to laugh, and laugh quite loudly. It was the kind of laugh that was menacing and almost inhumane. But what the killer said next left him silent and completely off guard.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? I never thought I'd be seeing you again Fai D. Fluorite…or should I say _Yuui of Valeria_."

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^**

_*Passes out on her bed*_ So...tired!


	13. The choices we make

Another chapter up~!

This story is slowly ending soon.

And those reviews, the favorites and the alerts. I'm going to miss them.

Greatly, I might add.

I don't deserve all of this praising.

*coughs*

Anyway, enjoy~!

* * *

**The choices we make**

* * *

_Youou watched in amazement as he saw his father slashing and cutting down straw dummies without breaking a sweat. He was sitting as still as he could; as he couldn't possibly interrupt his father's training._

_However it was a very cold spring morning and Youou forgot to get something to cover him up. As he felt the shivers, his nose started to scrunch up. He tried to hold it but the wind was blowing around._

_The boy sneezed._

_Youou's father stopped and smiled over at his son. "Getting a bit cold there, son?" _

_The boy blushed. "N-no. I-I'm fine, father." Then he got a frown from his father. Before he knew it, a cloak was draped on his shoulders. He looked up at the man and saw a kind smile._

"_Youou," The man started. "I think it's great that you wanted to start training with me in the morning. However, I'd think it would be best if you were a little older when you start; that way you won't get sick so easily."_

"_But father, if I don't start training right away, how am I supposed to protect the people I love like you and mother?" Youou protested. "I want to be strong and be there when they need me."_

"_Yes, Youou; when they _need_ you." His father pointed out. He then kneeled down at Youou's height and patted his head. "If there's anything that you need to understand is that you can't always be there for everyone." He then pressed a finger at Youou's lips before the child can even protest. "And yes; while it is true that you want to lend a helping hand, you have to realize that people can deal with their issues on their own and at the same time may not want help."_

_As the finger was down, Youou frowned. "But how am I supposed to protect others if they don't want it? Will they hate me if I do?"_

"_Oh no, Youou." His father softly said. "Just because you genuinely care for someone and you helped them doesn't mean they'd hate you. They would get mad but deep down they'd be glad that you did. Besides; hate is too deep and hurtful of a word to use on a child; don't you think?" He then frowned. "But remember this, Youou."_

_The child perked up._

"_Not everyone will want help. They will try to hide it and pretend that everything's fine when they're really not. And you can't go charging away just for the sake of helping. You should only go when they really needed you the most. Only then can you take action and protect them."_

_Youou was slightly confused at his father's words. As any seven or eight year olds are. But he took it to heart. Though he can't imagine people just faking happiness. And what do they got to hide; it can't be that bad that they wouldn't want help….right?_

_But the child just nodded with a small smile. "But how will I know that someone needs me?"_

_The father chuckled softly as he placed a kiss on the child's head (earning him a pout). "You will know, Youou. And believe me, what you decided to do at that point will affect someone you will meet and care for. So don't regret it."_

"_Yes, father."_

* * *

"Damn it father!" Kurogane muttered to himself. "I thought you were referring to justthe idiot mage! If I have known…." He ran. He ran as fast as he could into the town. He didn't what exactly what he trying to do. He just knew that he had to get to Yuui as soon as possible. He ran so fast that he almost missed the grocery store. He tripped on his footing before entering. He then got to the cashier and slammed his hands on the counter. "Hey! Did you see a blonde guy with blue eyes and a freaking ponytail come here?"

The cashier jumped at the sudden action. "Y-yes. You just missed him." He pointed to the outside. "He just left a few minutes ago. Probably on his way home or something by now."

Kurogane cursed before running out of the store; leaving a very confused cashier behind. He then just went with his instincts; he turned from one corner to another; going up and down the streets. The town wasn't as big as he thought but it has done little to already panicking brain and heart on the inside.

_Where is he?_

_He couldn't have got far._

_And that killer._

_What if something happen to him?_

_What he was murdered in some alleyway?_

_If that bastard gets his dirty hands on my friend, I—_

It almost _scared_ the ninja that he actually cared so much. Not that his heart was made of stone but he'd be damn if he admitted that to anyone.

As he turned to another corner, his thoughts came back to Yuui. This was a man who was Fai's dead twin brother from another world. Before he even came to this world, he couldn't even _imagine_ a world where the twins were not only alive but living well also. Then the group came to this world.

At first he thought that Yuui was Fai's other self. But that idea flew out the window when he saw those pictures at the man's house. After some time, he got to know Yuui and even had grown closer to him. Before he knew it, he and Yuui became friends.

If this happened when he was still a ruthless ninja, the idea would have been ludicrous.

But now…

The warrior shook his head. Now's not the time to worry that. Right now he had someone who needs help. "Damn it all; when I find that blonde moron, I'm giving him one hell of a lecture."

He didn't know what was coming until it was too late.

* * *

"Whoa wait guys, where are you going?" Watanuki was following the travelers up to the front door. One minute they were calmly playing a game of cards then the next, the group just rushed out right out of the room. He honestly didn't know what was going on but the way they were frowning, it wasn't good.

Syaoran and Fai turned their heads at Watanuki who had Mokona in his arms.

"We need to go." Syaoran said with a grim expression. "There's something that we have to confront and you can't come with us."

"But I don't understand." Watanuki shook his head. "If it's about Yuui sneaking out then how about we just wait for hi-"

"I'm sorry." Fai calmly interrupted. "It's...not about him; not exactly." He then went up to Watanuki and placed a hand on his head. "It's about someone else...someone we thought would never appear again. That person...well let's just say that he's the bad guy and as the good guys, we have to get him before he gets us."

"The bad guy?" Watanuki asked. "Is he the reason why you all are here?"

The two exchanged glances. Even Mokona frowned.

"Not exactly." Syaoran said. "But now that Kurogane's out, I can only assume that he might know where he is. And as his friends; we have to go and help him." He then moved up to Watanuki. "Mokona..."

Mokona nodded as she hopped out of Watanuki's arms and onto Fai's shoulders.

Then suddenly the boy hugged the teen as tightly as he could.

Watanuki; completely not prepared for that, yelped. "Wait Syaoran! What are you-!"

"I'm sorry." Syaoran mumbled. "You got dragged down with our issues. I...There's a reason why your other self is who he is now." He then blinked as he felt tears stinging his eyes. "I couldn't do anything, We made a choice. We had to...he's stuck in that shop and...I don't want you to suffer too." He then let out a shaky breath. "And that man...we know who the killer is...and that's why..." He let go of the teen only slightly. "This is as far as you go, Watanuki. You need to stay here and be safe...you have a very long life ahead of you and I'll be _damned_ if that man would come anywhere near you."

The teen just looked at the boy with a sad smile. "I...I guess I can't argue with that." He then hesitantly (if not awkwardly), then hugged the boy in a gentle manner. "I may not understand all of this...the whole other selves in different worlds and stuff but..." He sighed. "But you've been through hell and I guess I took my life for granted. I think it's great that you all came and it made me feel a lot better about myself. If you want me to stay then I'll stay but promise me you all will come back...so we can play another round of cards?" He chuckled.

Syaoran chuckled back. "Of course."

"We should get going." Fai slightly smiled. "I'd hate for Kurgs to deal with this without backup."

Nodding the two males let go of each other as Syaoran and Fai went outside. Mokona hopped onto Watanuki's shoulder.

"Stay with Watanuki. And please contact the shopkeeper of what's happening."

"Aye Aye, Syaoran~!" Mokona smiled.

With that, the pair closed the door behind them.

Watanuki and Mokona just stood there in silence.

Before long, Watanuki let out a shaky laugh. "You know, I never would have thought that spring break would have turn out like this." He then looked over at Mokona. "The shopkeeper mention something to me that there's no such thing as coincidence; only inevitability. But you know what I think?"

"What?" Mokona asked.

Closing his eyes, Watanuki grinned. "I think it's only inevitable if you believe it is. But in the end, it's your choices that make a difference. You never want to think that you're stuck on one path during your whole life. That would suck." He then chuckled. "I may not like the fact that I'm stuck with Doumeki for god knows how much longer," He said. "But I just couldn't imagine my life without him. That's one bit of that inevitability that I don't mind having. Even though...I was the one who wanted to be friends with him in the first place."

Mokona giggled as she nuzzled his cheek. "You're so sweet."

Rolling his eyes, Watanuki nuzzled back. "Yeah, yeah." He then frowned. "Now we have to do is call that shopkeeper. And I know he's just as pissed about the situation."

* * *

_'Y-Yuui of Valeria? What the hell is he talking about?'_

The cooking teacher spared a glance at the killer. He had navy hair tied to a ponytail, had a pair of glasses and was wearing a long but thin black coat with what looked like a symbol of a bat. _'What the hell is he talking about; 'Yuui of Valeria'? I don't know who he is and I'm sure as hell never met him. Could he be one of those cult killers who murder others for the sake of their gods or something?' _He then blinked as the killer was chuckling; sightly lowering a gun.

"Oh, excuse me. Where are my manners?" The killer then bowed with his free arm. "Allow me to reintroduce myself; my name is Kyle Rondart. Servant of Fei Wong Reed; the time-space master." He then aimed the gun right at the blonde's head as he turned around. "I suppose it has been a very long time. I'd be surprised if you even remembered me."

Shaking his head, Yuui sighed. "I...don't, really." _'Mostly because I still don't know.'_ But he realized something. _'He must think I'm Fai because of how alike we look. Might as well just play dumb for a bit before giving the prick what he deserves.'_ Copying Fai's sly-like smile, Yuui then clasped his hands. "Oh Kyle! Oh...that name must have rung a bell somewhere but please refresh my memories; when was the last time we've met?"

Kyle frowned as his eyes darkened. "It was in between master's world and Clow. That damn boy's clone tricked me and stabbed me through the chest. Once I killed him, that ninja sliced me in half. I supposed that in a way I was still the master's puppet to the end. But it didn't waver the fact that I still worshiped him."

"Fei Wong Reed." Yuui shook his head; pretending to know. "Even after all of this time; you still trapped by that man."

"I'm only doing what he tells me to do!" Kyle shouted as he clicked the gun. "It was your fault! Yours and that that damn group! If you hadn't interfered then my master's wish would've come true and that witch would have been resurrected!" He then gritted his teeth. "All my master wants was for that woman to be brought back to life! Was that so much to ask? He even said..." He closed his eyes in anger. "That...if his wish comes true then my wish will be granted too! He promised!"

Looking pitifully at the guy before him, Yuui could only see a bit of himself in him. Yet another person who's just as broken as he was. If not more. He then smiled sadly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that we caused you so much pain but...you shouldn't be doing this." He calmly said. "You can't be killing everything in sight. It's only going to hurt you more then help. You can't continue being his servant any longer. Just stop..."

"Shut up." Kyle interrupted with a hiss. "You don't know. You don't know anything about me and how can you?" He then had a sick twisted smile on him. "You were a prince, you and him both from the country of Valeria."

Yuui stopped and blinked. _'What?'_

"Yeah, you think I wouldn't know?" Kyle chuckled. "My master told me all about you. How you two were born; as twins; you and Fai..."

_Twins?_

"..And that you two brought misfortune to everyone and everything. Your dad dying..."

_Misfortune?_

"..Your own mother committing suicide..."

_His mom?_

"And that no matter what has happened; the blame was put on you both. The twins of misfortune."

_They were blamed?_

"You own king gave you a choice." Kyle sickly smiled_. _"He said to either kill one of you or lock you two up in prison." He took Yuui's pale face in satisfaction. "Oh yes. You remembered right? The tower. Those poor young boys, separated from each other; their only family left. Wallowing in despair while the rest of the country moved on. But wait," He snickered. "They didn't move on. They were killed one by one by your precious king. And then thrown in the prison with all the other dead corpses. He blamed you. He killed himself just to make you suffer for you existence. Just because you two existed; doesn't that ring a bell to you?"

Yuui shook his head. _'T-That's not right. Fai and his brother; his Yuui were just born. They didn't deserve that. They were just kids. How can they do that to them...why? Why?'_ He then stared into Kyle's dark eyes. "That's...that's not true."

"Oh Yuui. Still trying to be strong? Pitiful." Kyle shook his head. "If only you were stronger before...maybe then you wouldn't have to kill your own brother; just to save yourself!"

_'What?'_ Yuui thought in fear as time stood still. _'He's wrong. He has to be wrong. Fai wouldn't kill his brother. He wouldn't do something to his only family. He's just...he couldn't..." _He then blinked as he saw the gun aiming at his heart. He looked back at the man; feeling afraid.

"I know. It hurts doesn't it?" Kyle chuckled. "Don't worry; it won't hurt for very much longer. With you out of the way; there's one more person I would like to meet, Say hello to your brother for me." His finger pulled the trigger and the blonde was too shock to move.

_So...this is where it ends. My life taken by a servant from another world at gun point. I guess I lived a good life. I just wished that I told me brother that i love him one more time..._

"YUUI!"

Then time slowed down. The gun went off and Yuui squeezed his eyes; ready to feel the intense pain. Then there was a clank. Then nothing. He opened his eyes and saw the barrel of the gun in front of him. It was smoking but he then looked down. He gasped in shock. In front of his feet was Kurogane, crouching down and in pain as he was holding his left arm tightly to his chest. He knelled down to the man's level; his mouth opening and closing as he was trying to form the words. "K-Kurogane? How did you...what the...?"

Kyle chuckled from above. "And look who arrived, the great warrior of Japan; Kurogane. The most ruthless, heartless and cold-nature ninja of his world." He then reloaded. "It's nice to see a man protect the one he loves to the very end." He smirked as he saw the ninja's heated glare. "It was very sweet to see the young boy who wanted to protect his country and his people. Too bad that he failed." He then aimed the gun to Kurogane's head. "Oh how disappointed the village must have been if they were alive. To know that the warrior not only fail them but hid himself from his true nature. The prince, the man of Suwa, the son of the that man; Y-"

"Shut up!" Kurogane shouted out. "I'm not falling for that game you soulless bastard." He then smirked. "You want to kill; try me first. But take a good aim, because if you miss; then I'll be all over your ass."

"No, Kurogane!" Yuui said with worry. "You can't do that! What about F-!"

"_You'll_ be fine..._Fai_." The ninja said. "I'm sorry that I didn't see what you had to suffer for earlier. I shouldn't have hurt you to get to the truth." He then winked at the blonde. He then mouthed to him:

_When he fires...get back._

Yuui blinked. "Wha-"

The gun clicked and Kyle smirked. "Goodbye...Kurogane."

Then a shot went out.

The cooking teacher jumped back as he was told but closed his eyes in the process. When he opened them; he was speechless to say the least. Kurogane was still alive but that wasn't the weirdest part. The man just...from the look of it...was holding the gun with his left hand. He knew that the gun went off but there it was; Kurogane _stopped_ then bullet. But then something caught his eye...something metal. He then gasped as he realized that there wasn't anything metal on his arm.

The metal _was_ his arm.

Yuui then looked at Kyle who was just as shocked as he was. He then glared angrily at the man. "You...You..."

Kurogane grinned as he bended the tip of the gun. "I told you; take a good aim. Because if you miss..." He yanked the gun away from Kyle and then kicked him hard in the stomach; sending the man back several feet. "I'll be over your ass."

The cooking teacher then shook his head and ran up to Kurogane. "Oh my god. Are you okay? Did it hurt?" He took Kurogane's left arm and pushed back the fabric. He then confirmed his suspicions. The arm; the whole arm...was robotic, a real live metal arm. He then looked up at Kurogane who glanced back at him with sad eyes. "I...You...oh Kurogane." He then saw where the bullet hit him. On the upper arm. He then sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have listened to you, I'm such an idiot."

"Don't worry about it." Kurogane muttered. "We're all idiots at some point." He slightly smiled which made Yuui slightly smile back.

_*click*_

The two suddenly looked up to see Kyle grinning like a maniac.

"You didn't think that I'd be unprepared; do you?" He then had the finger on the trigger. "At first you don't succeed; try and try again."

"Nice choice of words."

Then a swirling blue energy emerge out of nowhere as Kyle saw it wrapping around the gun. Suddenly; it disintegrated. He growled. He looked beyond the two and was shock to see he saw.

Yuui turned around and sighed in relief. "Fai! Syaoran! Boy, am I glad to see you!"

Fai and Syaoran ran up to the duo with relief as well. Syaoran went to Yuui while Fai went to Kurogane.

"I'm so glad that you were unharmed." Syaoran said with a smile. "For a minute, I thought you were gone." He then grinned as he got a soft pat on the head.

"I know." Yuui said. "But I have Kurogane to thank about that." He then grinned. "Who knew that the man has excellent timing."

As the two were talking, Fai then took the crushed gun from Kurogane metal hand and kissed the barely clothed arm. "Thank you...for protecting Yuui." He then chuckled. "You always knew what would make me sad and what will make me extremely happy."

Kurogane blushed. "I just did it because it was the right thing to do. I wasn't looking forward to kissing you ass any longer." He smiled as he heard a chuckle coming from the blonde.

"T-That's not possible!"

The four looked at Kyle who was pointing at them in shock.

"Y-Yuui's here but then that mage...he shouldn't be but he...then he shouldn't be..." Kyle was in total shock, his words were just pouring out of his mouth. "I don't...it can't be..."

Having enough of the moment, Syaoran walked around the group until he was in front of them. "Kyle Rondart. I never thought I would be seeing you again."

Hearing the boy's voice, Kyle snapped out of it. He then seethed at the boy. "You. You're the one I'm looking for." He then took a few steps forward. "You were the one who ruined my master's dreams and his wish." He then went into his sleeve and pulled out a knife. "I came for only one thing; to kill you and realize my master's wish. She will come back to life. And neither you or them can stop me."

Narrowing his eyes, Syaoran placed his fist onto his open palm. "I see that you are clouded by the past. And you won't listen to reason or face reality." Suddenly, with a burst of fire and magic, a sword appeared out of his palm as his fist grabbed the sword and pulled it out. It was a green and gold stoned sword that looked like it was dated back to ancient china.

Yuui looked between the two as he was getting more and more shocked.

"Don't worry." Fai said; holding Yuui and Kurogane tight. "Syaoran will be fine. He's strong you know. Stronger the ever. I'm sure he'll be fine."

The cooking teacher nodded. "Yeah...I'm sure..."

Kyle grinned as he positioned himself. "A fight to the death then, dear Syaoran. Let's see if you have what it takes to bring me down once more. But be warned; I won't hold back."

Syaoran set his eyes, They are determined, resolved, _ready_ to end the bloodshed and the suffering that caused the town so much pain...then make sure that his friend...Yuui will have his normal life back. He will make sure of that. No matter what.

"Neither will I."

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

Oh man! It's about to go down!

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^**


	14. What is fiction and what is truth

I'm not going to lie: I had trouble with this chapter. But at the same time I had fun with it too. ^_^

And I'm thinking of doing a one-shot sequel of this fic when it's over. (It might just be a what-happens-in-the-future kind of thing but I'm willing to hear your thoughts into this)

As a warning, you guys might be confused near the end. Sorry. *blushes in embarrassment*

Anyway...enjoy~!**  
**

* * *

**What is fiction and what is truth**

* * *

"_No matter what happens; I will back down! I will fight for the people I love and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"_

"_Oh yeah? We'll see about that!"_

_Eight-year-old Yuui and Fai stared at awe at the TV screen with smiles on their faces. It was a Saturday morning and they were watching a very old cartoon show. It was about samurais and fighting. They didn't bother remembering the title._

_Yuui was sitting crossed-legged while Fai lay on his stomach; moving his legs in mid-air. They were the only ones in the house at the time. Their parents were out grocery shopping while their older Chi, who was in a nearby park with some friends._

_When you are a child with a twin brother, being in a house seemed a little less lonely; to Yuui anyway._

_As the sounds of swords clashing was heard; Fai gasped in excitement. "Did you see that Yuui~?" He pointed at the screen. "Man, that guy is really fighting that beast with all of his strength." He then giggled. "I wonder what it would be if we saw that in real life; it'd be so cool!"_

_Yuui slightly smiled at his brother's enthusiasm. But then he frowned. "But there are no such things as samurais anymore. And fighting's wrong. Even if they do exist; it's never going to happen."_

_Fai pouted as he looked up at his brother. "I know that." He then looked back at the screen. "Man, Yuui. Have some imagination. It's okay to just think of something cool once in awhile." He then shrugged. "It might not happen but still; it's cool to think about it."_

_The sitting blonde blinked at his brother's tone before scoffing. "Like I'll see two people with magic powers fight in real life. That's never going to happen."_

_**No matter how much I hope or wish it would.**_

* * *

'_I think I'm better off dead if I knew that my life would lead to this.' _

Yuui, Fai and Kurogane were hiding in a nearby alleyway as Syaoran and Kyle were fighting on the streets. The cooking teacher stared in amazement as he saw balls of fire and lighting shooting anywhere and everywhere. He wanted to get closer to see the fight better but he knew that if he did, he might be caught in the middle and the situation would worsen.

He actually felt that he was in a fighting anime.

"Careful mage! I don't want you to snap a wire or something!"

The cooking teacher glanced over at the pair to see Fai ripped the sleeve of Kurogane's shirt and is now touching the surface of the metal arm gently. He grimaced at the sight. He knew that the arm wasn't flesh but the way that the oil was leaking down on the limb, it was hard not to imagine it being blood and bone.

_Just like…._

"Oh hush, Kuro-stubborn." Fai lightly scolded as he looked at the bullet hole that was embedded in the robotic arm. "I'm not going to cause more harm; I assure you. After all…I'm glad that it was this arm and nothing else." Then he closed his eyes. His mouth started to move but no sound come out. Then a soft blue glow appeared on Kurogane's arm. Then slowly but surely, the bullet was gently pulled out of the arm.

The glow disappeared. The bullet hit the cement with a tap.

Fai chuckled softly as he patted the metal arm. "That's all I can do for you, Kurgs." He then looked up at those red eyes apologetically. "I can't just _fix _the hole in your arm but at least the bullet's out."

Kurogane sighed as he placed a kiss on top of Fai's head. "It doesn't matter to me. Bullet or no bullet, I managed to crush the asshole's gun. He can't use it anymore."

Yuui glanced at the crushed pistol that was laying between him and the pair. Blinking, he picked up the object and went up to the pair. He then kneeled down to the travelers. He then placed the gun down and crossed his arms.

"Is there something wrong?" Fai asked; a bit off-guard by the change in the blonde.

The cooking teacher didn't spare a glance at the two of them. He then sighed. "Is it true…what that man said?"

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "What _did_ he say?"

Yuui then glanced at Fai and only Fai. "Is it true…..is it true that you killed your own brother just to save yourself?"

The only response that he received was wide blue eyes staring back at him.

* * *

Syaoran dodged a lightening attack coming from the man. He didn't expect this to happen. He underestimated him. He didn't think that Kyle had any power much less magic but how did he obtain it. Was it something that Fei did before the final battle before the brutal death?

Or was it something else?

"I must say Syaoran, you are strong." Kyle commented. "Stronger then the last time we have met. However, I wonder how long will it be before one of us goes down?" He then charged at Syaoran with incredible speed. He smirked as the boy moved out of the way. He ducked from the swing of the sword. "It must be hard for you Syaoran. With your shy nature and a kind heart, can you shoulder the consequences of killing another?"

Syaoran stepped back with a scowl. "I'm not the same person as before. I've grown up. I'm no longer the helpless boy back in piffle world when you tried to steal that feather." He narrowed his eyes. "And what do you know about the consequences of killing another?"

Kyle frowned.

"You have killed more lives than anyone I know and you're scolding _me_ on the facts of killing others?" Syaoran's scowl softened into a frown. "I'll admit; I have done more wrong in my life then I would want to remember and that I probably won't forget it. But still, I made a promise. I promise to my beloved that I will return to her and I won't let you get in my way. If I'm to kill you here and now then so be it. I won't ask for forgiveness from you as I caused you so much pain. But then again; you caused me some pain as well….I am right?"

For a moment Kyle didn't say anything. Silence lingered on the streets as the wind blew around them.

Then…

*_BLAST*_

Syaoran jumped in mid-air from the attack and landed squarely on his feet. He looked up at Kyle who held no expression. But just for a second, he thought he saw a tiny look of sadness in those dark eyes. He blinked in confusion. _'Kyle….what has happened to you?'_

* * *

Yuui took the silence as a confirmation. There was something that they were not telling them. He frowned. "Kurogane…_Fai_…." He started. "I need to know; I can't…." He shook his head. "Was the other version of my brother….killed by your very hands….just so you can _live_?" He couldn't get his head around it. Granted; he was just getting to know the other blond but enemy or not; Kyle knew something about him. The question was; was he ready to hear it?

Kurogane looked away. He didn't think it would come to this. He knew that Fai was delaying the inevitable ever since he met Yuui. Yes, the past shouldn't be spoken of again but now that Yuui got dragged into their mess; it was only a matter of time before the very subject would come up. So he was very surprised when he saw Fai just softly smiling at Yuui. Then he had a thought.

_What the hell is he going to do?_

Lifting his hand, Fai leaned over and touched Yuui's forehead. "I have done a lot of things that I'm ashamed for." He then started to tear. "And the worst out of all of that was never seeing my brother's face again. Even the memory of him is fading." He then frowned. "So I think…it's better if I didn't say anything to you about my past."

Yuui blinked. "What do you mean by that?" He felt a bit angry at Fai's statement. "Did you or did you not kill your own brother?" For a few moments no one said a word. He then felt a bit sleepy. "Why can't….you….tell….me….?" The touch from Fai's hand was somehow comforting and…soothing. "What…did you…?"

_A soft touch._

_A gentle gesture._

_A loving heart._

_It's was just like a mother would do for a child._

"Like I said it'd be better if I didn't tell you….not now anyway." Fai then sadly smiled. "I'm sorry that we ruined your life. And it's unfair that I've kept this from you but it's not the time nor place or it. Don't worry though…." He caught Yuui in his arms as the cooking teacher passed out in front of him. "You'll found out afterwards."

Kurogane didn't say anything at that moment. But it didn't stop him from frowning in disapproval.

"I know Kurgs." Fai said softly. "I really am an idiot."

* * *

Kyle laughed as he launched another lightning at the boy. "It's quite exciting, you know. I never thought that I would ever see you just jumping around like a mouse; scurrying for a place to hide." He then moved quickly backwards as he came too close to the boy's blade. "It just like Jade wasn't it? Oh you were so proud of yourself when you found me out; being a culprit for kidnapping those children." He then grinned as he successfully punched Syaoran in the stomach; making the boy kneel over. "But in the end; the hero will fall when people needed him the most. Especially that girl that you failed not once but twice. Oh to see that pathetic girl's blood spilled; oh how I will love to view it again once master's done with her-"

_*SLASH*_

The man looked down in surprise. Blood. There was blood staining his clothes. Soon, a couple of it were staining the ground below. He looked back up at the boy who had the red-covered blade aimed at him.

"I have no problem with you insulting me to talking down at me." Syaoran said with a dark look in his eyes. "But I will _not_ tolerate you speaking ill of my beloved. You and your so-called master have done enough to her and I will not let you use her harshly; not anymore!" He then charged at the Kyle; successfully cutting the man once again but this time at the right shoulder.

"She's not a doll!"

_Blades clashing._

"She's not a pawn!"

_Blood spilling._

"She's not a vessel for your sick game!"

_Burning hatred._

"She's my princess!"

_Blossoming love._

"I love Sakura! And never again will I stand aside and let you hurt her!"

_A fighting solider to the end._

Kyle growled as he dropped the knife to hold his bleeding wounds. He didn't like where the fight was going. If this keeps up; he'll lose and will lose painfully. He can't die yet! His master's waiting for him. He has to kill the boy soon so he can go back to him. But how? He needed more power, more strength, _something_. He didn't want to die. Not now; not yet.

_Master…please help me._

Then Kyle suddenly hunched over; he felt a giant wave of pain coursing through him like someone has ripped his limbs off one by one. He then gritted his teeth as he saw his own blood turn from ruby red to mucky black. He then realized that he….was changing. He chuckled darkly as he looked up at Syaoran with a pained look. "Well what do you know? It seems that I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Shall I show you one?"

Syaoran widened his eyes in shock as he saw the transformation.

Kyle let out a scream as his teeth started forming into sharp canine dentures, his messy wounds being healed by the very black blood that was spurting out of him. And that his arms were formed into a beastly like limbs; claws and all. And the worst part was; was that his very eyes changed. The pupils were silted as they turned into a deep golden color. He breathed heavily as he gave out a shaky breath. "A mutation. I see. So my master's with me after all." He then spit out more of that black blood out of his mouth. "Let's see how powerful this new form is."

The boy narrowed his eyes and he readied himself. "Whatever you turned into….it still won't stop me."

* * *

"So who's this Kyle guy that the travelers are so worked up about?"

Watanuki and Mokona went to Yuui's main bedroom where Fai and Kurogane were staying. Mokona called up the shopkeeper who already had a frown on his face. It didn't take a rocket-scientist to know that the situation was already dire. Though it didn't stop Watanuki from asking just what the hell is exactly going on.

"He was a made-being." The shopkeeper calmly said. "Created by a man called Fei Wong Reed. He was his loyal accomplice all the way till the end." The shopkeeper then frowned. "He was killed though…before the final battle. I wasn't there to actually see it but according to Syaoran he felt pity…because he was tricked into being a decoy by the man. The last thing that Syaoran saw was the look of betrayal before his eyes were glazed completely."

The blue-eyed teen frowned as he glanced away. "Was this…Fei Wong Reed really that evil?"

"He was the reason why we are what we are now." The shopkeeper softly said.

Rubbing his head, Watanuki sighed. "Man, if I didn't know any better; I'd say that this just some messed up video game or something."

Despite how serious the issue was, Mokona let out a giggle.

"So this Kyle," Watanuki continued. "So he was this man's lackey but got bumped off before the final fight….that I get." He then waved his hand around a bit. "If that's true…why the hell is he turning up now? The dead can't just…..come back to life. They're called the dead for a reason."

For a moment there was this uncomfortable silence that spreads across the room.

"….That's where it gets a bit messy." The shopkeeper finally started. "You see…traveling from world to world isn't easy and it's certainly isn't without consequences. And when someone dies in whatever world they were born in they are either born again in that same world or are born in a completely new world. It happens from time to time."

"Okay…but that's not answering my question." Watanuki said. "What does that have to do with what's going on now?"

The shopkeeper crossed his arms as he tried to find the words. "Not many had the ability to travel from world to world. Even the most powerful magic-users have difficulty with it or can do it just once with the exception of the previous owner of this shop." He then made a face. "But when they could, a gap appears." He then rubbed his head. "It happens with people traveling from one world to another. That gap is like a crack. And that crack would take in beings that weren't supposed to exist…."

"Like…..us?" Watanuki asked.

"No, not you." The shopkeeper said with a sad smile. "Like me." He chuckled. "You were born without a taboo ever being broken. You are _supposed_ to exist. I wasn't." He then coughed. "Anyway, when people that shouldn't exist die suddenly or in rare cases gets killed violently by…random bouts of fate, they're souls get sucked into that gap and they either get eaten by the dark creatures that reside there or they get spit out and can be reborn. Nine out of ten, the latter happens. However…."

"What?"

The shopkeeper pressed his lips into a thin line. "I'm not sure myself but….those dark beings….that at least once in a while….will take a soul and….give it their blood as a sick joke before sending that soul back to whatever world they choose."

"So that means…." Watanuki trailed off as he pieced the information together. "That the Kyle that came to this world…isn't human….?"

"I hate to say it but…." The shopkeeper looked away. "That Kyle there is only a shadow of his former self….nothing more….nothing less."

* * *

_I feel so sleepy._

_My head's so light._

_It's like I'm floating across the sky._

_But why can't I open my eyes though?_

_I want to see the sky._

_I want to see the clouds around me_.

_Wait…_

_When did I fell asleep?_

_I was sure I was awake before._

_The last thing I remembered was seeing brother's face._

_No…._

_It wasn't brother's face…_

_It was…._

* * *

"I can't freaking believe you."

Fai rolled his eyes as he continued to sooth and comforting the sleeping blonde on his lap. "Kurgy, you can say that as many times as you want but it won't make any difference. Besides…." He smiled sadly. "Would you want him to see someone die again?"

Kurogane looked away. The damn idiot _did_ have a point. "That doesn't excuse you for your damn actions. I mean for fuck's sake Fai!" Kurogane shouted. "He deserves to know! You could have just told him that what that asshole said to him was a complete lie! You know that!"

"Yes…." Fai softly said. "But he wouldn't really believe me." He then twirled one of Yuui's blonde locks with his finger. "Think about it Kurgs; the poor guy's almost died and was fed into Kyle's vicious lie right before. He was scared and confused. If I were in that position, I'd believe that lie above all else; be that the truth or otherwise."

"He'd believed you." Kurogane softly said. "All this time that we've been here you never once lied to him and I don't think it's because he's your brother in another world." He then closed his eyes. "It's because he _trusts_ you; more than anyone else."

Fai chuckled humorlessly. "I know that….but I wish that he didn't."

"Why?"

"Because….I'm doing something horrible to him right now." Fai muttered out.

"What do you mean?" Kurogane then saw Fai's hand faintly glowing; the one that's on Yuui's head. He put two and two together. "You don't mean…."

"I don't like talking about my past, Kurogane." Fai emptily said. "I don't like to relive those dark times because no matter what, I will always think of what I could've done or should've done…in order to save my brother from a painful death." He looked at Yuui sadly. "And….I can't let that happen again. So…instead of telling him…I'm showing him….my memories….my past….all of it….to him."

The ninja didn't say anything for a few seconds…then just growled softly. "And what happens when he wakes up and finds out not only your past but that cheap trick you just pulled on him?"

"Well…." Fai started with a smile. "That's for him to decide; now isn't it?"

Kurogane knelled down and placed a chaste kiss on Fai's lips. "Why the hell did I fall for a guy like you again?"

Fai grinned at the man above. "It's because there's no other person in the universe who would take that big sword of yours and-"

His sentence was cut off as the two heard a roar coming from the streets.

* * *

_Okay so I was up in the sky…._

_Now, I'm on the ground._

_And…it's snowing. It really is snowing._

_And cold._

_So cold._

_But I'm not shivering._

_Just where the hell am I?_

_It must be a dream._

_Why else can I see snow this white and this pure?_

_Wait…_

_That's a castle._

_A castle in the middle of nowhere?_

_That's odd…._

_No…._

_It's not a castle…._

_It's a tower….._

_A really big tower._

_I think it goes all the way up to the sky._

_Now that I think about it…._

_There's a stone wall surrounding that tower._

_But why?_

_Is there something that that it's protecting?_

_Or is it-_

_**Why?**_

_What?_

_**Why did this happen to us?**_

_That voice….._

_**Why is it happening this way?**_

_It sounds familiar….._

_**Is it because we were twins?**_

_Fai?_

_**It can't be…**_

_Fai._

_**It just can't be!**_

_Fai! Can you hear me?_

_**We were only born!**_

_Fai! Where are you?_

_**We didn't mean to!**_

_Damn it Fai!_

_**Why?**_

_Stop it._

_**Why?**_

_Stop it!_

_**It is because we exist?**_

_Shut up!_

_**That we are born as twins?**_

_Please stop!_

_**The twins of misfortune?**_

_FAI!_

…..

_Fai….are you there?_

…_._

_I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I got angry at you. I just…..please…tell me where you are and I'll apologize—_

_**Fai…help me….**_

_W-What?_

_**Please…Fai…help me.**_

_Fai? If you're calling out for Fai….then you're…._

_**[Please…let Yuui out.]**_

_What?_

_No way. It can't be. You're….._

_Who **are** you ?_

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

Oh boy, things just got more complicated.

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^**

P.S- I didn't mean to this fic to have angsty undertones! (Seriously; when did _that_ happen?) Dang it, Ua-chan~! XD**  
**


	15. The eyes and the heart

Wow, how fast am I? XD

Sudden rush of inspiration and fast writing brought to you by: **Papermoon by TommyHeavenly6** also known as **Soul Eater's second opening song. **^_^**  
**

It's doing wonders; let me tell ya'. XD

(Just to say it here, I'd bet if I posted this fic anywhere else, no one would give a crap. XD Since this kind of crossover is rare and that not a lot of people ever even heard of Horitsuba.

However, this story's is winding down very slowly. I honestly don't know how many more chapters will it take until it's done completely.

(Still not sure if I should write a sequel one-shot or not...seems unnecessary for some reason.)

Anyway, enjoy the chapter and if you all are confused then I'm sorry. ^_^

* * *

**What the eyes could see and what the heart could feel**

* * *

_It happened so fast. First he was on a snow waste-land near a tower and the next he was somewhere else. Yuui couldn't figure out when he had moved. He checked his surroundings. It was a dimmed medieval-like hallway with lighted candles on each side. He assumed that it was nighttime by the fact that no one was around._

_Throwing any caution to the wind, Yuui decided to go exploring. He started walking. His footsteps echoed through the halls but it fell silent in his ears. As he was walking he passed the many pictures that were hung on the walls. Each picture showing certain people that he just slightly recalls._

_The further he went, the colder the atmosphere was around him. It had gotten so cold that he wrapped his arms around himself. "What the hell am I doing?" He chuckled bitterly. "This is a dream for god's sake; I could be killed here in a second if that's the case." He then looked over his shoulder. "Maybe I should turn around and find an exit instead." _

_Just then a sound of a whimper reached the blonde's ears._

_Blinking, Yuui looked ahead. There was nothing but dark and more coldness. But that whimper….it sounded very familiar. Gulping, Yuui frowned and continued walking forward. As he walked, the whimpers started getting louder and clearer._

_And so he walked._

_And walked._

_And walked._

_Suddenly the whimpers stopped._

_Stopping in his tracks, Yuui's eyes landed on a certain door. It was opened just slightly but there was light seeping out of it. As curiosity got the best of him, Yuui inched closer to the door and leaned on the wall next to it. He leaned over to peak. He was slightly surprised to see what was inside._

_There were two little boys; twin boys to be exact sleeping on a very plush bed. Lit candled were around them, lighting up the room; just barely though. He narrowed his eyes. From his point of view, it seemed that they were crying as there were tears staining their pale cheeks. But what really got him was the fact that they were holding hands._

"_Aww." Yuui cooed. "They look so cute. I wonder…..what happened to them that would made them cry?" He tried to look around the room with his field of vision but with little luck. Giving up, Yuui started closing the door. "Well I don't want them to wake up thinking some perv was spying on them." However as he was closing the door, there were footsteps coming from the end of the hallway, coming closer._

_Panicking, Yuui opened the door wide and went inside the room as fast as he could. Leaning on the other side of the door, he quieted his breathing as best as he could as the footsteps were getting louder and louder. Then the footsteps reached the door._

_His heart stopped._

_Then to his relief, the footsteps passed the door and continued down the hallway. He sighed softly as he mustered up enough energy not to slump on the floor. Calming his heart rate, Yuui got a good look around the room. It was big and lavish. But it was also bare and dull. There wasn't much to say about the room besides the bed and the windows._

_It was like no one made an effort to decorate the room._

_Yuui looked back at the bed and saw the twins peacefully sleeping. He smiled. But then he frowned as he got a clear look at them. "Wait….they look very familiar….they almost look like…."_

_He then gasped._

"_They look just like Fai and I."_

* * *

The ground shook hard; making Kurogane and Fai flinch and hold their stand.

Fai quickly glanced at Yuui. He smiled in relief. Yuui hasn't woken up; he hasn't even as much as move an inch from the violent shake. _'That's good. At least it means that the spell's still intact.' _He then frowned. _'Still…..Yuui didn't deserve this. He had a normal life and we came and ruined it. Even after all this time; I'm just a coward. If only my brother was still alive. He'd know what to do.'_

Kurogane glanced at Fai who still had Yuui in his arms. "Hey mage-"

A sound of an explosion cut the ninja off, followed by a scream. Then out of nowhere the pair saw Syaoran flying through the air and a loud thud was heard just a second after.

"Syaoran!"

Carrying Yuui in his arms, Fai along with Kurogane ran out of the alleyway and into the streets. They ran up to Syaoran who was rubbing his head in pain and his sword surprisingly laying there next to him.

"Oh my god, Syaoran!" Fai exclaimed as he (with arms full with Yuui) knelled down next to the boy. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Syaoran groaned. "I'm okay for the most part." He then sat up and crossed his legs. "I was just a bit careless; that's all."

"As hell you were." Kurogane sneered back. "Just what the hell happened? And what the hell did that asshole do now?"

"…." Syaoran didn't say anything but lifted his finger and pointed what was in front of him.

The adult pair followed his finger and their eyes widened in shock at what they saw.

The being before them wasn't anything that they have ever seen before. It was growing in size rapidly and its skin was darkening. Eyes were shining gold as the pupils were a thin cat-eye slit. There were claws with nails that looked as sharp as its teeth which were growing in an alarming rate. The face no longer looked human as the jaws expanded. Ears were on top of the head and the body itself was growing muscular.

Kurogane looked at the transformation with a priceless expression. "What the….is that really Kyle in that thing?"

"I don't know." Syaoran said softly. "I knew that something was wrong when I saw the look of his eyes." He frowned. "But what really tipped me off was the fact that lightning attack he made."

"Wait….that wasn't you?" Fai asked. He thought that the lighting was all Syaoran.

"No." Syaoran shook his head. "As far as I was concerned, Kyle has no ability of magic or had any power. I mean, he used guns and knives! The whole lighting thing came out of nowhere but I didn't pay attention at the time."

The three glanced at the beast again who was breathing heavily from the pain that came from the transformation. The beast was hunched forward and moved its golden eyes at the group. He barred his teeth and growled angrily.

The ninja cursed. "The only time I didn't bring the silver dragon." He moved in front of the rest of the group. "Mage, take the kid and go somewhere far away from this piece of shit."

Fai blinked. Then he frowned. "And what will you do; exactly?"

"I don't know! Fight him off or something." Kurogane growled at the mage. "I know that I don't have my freaking sword with me but I _can_ try to beat the crap out of him with my own bare fists. Just take Yuui and the kid and get the hell out of here!"

"No."

Kurogane _and_ Syaoran looked over at the mage in shock. It was rare that the mage would take that kind of a dark tone. Of course, it wasn't too much of a surprise since they got to know the real person behind the mask bit by bit...but still...

"Did you hear what I just said?" The ninja shouted after the shock wore off. "Get your ass in gear and go!" He then was surprised as he saw Fai laying Yuui down gently on the pavement before glaring up at him.

"_No_." Fai stood up and walked around the man and placed his hands on hips. "I will do _no such thing_." He then pressed a finger to Kurogane's chest. "Ever since we have started this new journey, you tried to protect me from practically everything; whether it's a villain or a very mean guy on a street. It was sweet and cute at first but now…it's damn annoying." He then crossed his arms. "I'm a new person Kurgs, kindly do everyone a favor and treat me like one; okay?"

Blinking, Kurogane stared at the person. Then he blushed slightly. "I….I…." His mind then caught up as he scowled. "Hey! I was trying to be freaking nice here! You're my boyfriend afteral-" He shut up as he looked away.

"Oh~?" Fai said with a cat-like smile. "So you're calling me your dear boyfriend now~?" He then looked closely up to the man's face. "I'm flattered. I suppose I'll let you protect me just this one time; just for old time's sake. I do love a big strong man cradling me in his arms~! That's the one thing that I love about you; among other things."

"…._Damn you_." Kurogane muttered with a blush and a slightly forced grin.

"Um…guys…" Syaoran said. "Not to interrupt or anything but we have a sleeping Yuui and a creature that's Kyle here right now and….I think we should think of a solution or the town might get demolished." He cleared his throat as he felt eyes on him.

"By gosh, you're right." Fai said with a slight amused look. "I guess we have to postpone this lovely conversation for next time~!" His face then darkened a bit as a frown replaced the smile. "Right now, there's a bad wolf who needs some excessive training; wouldn't you agree, Kuro-sama?"

"Damn straight." Kurogane toothily grinned. "Now if I only had my sword, I can cut that creature into pieces."

"Too bad that we left Mokona with Watanuki though." Syaoran said. "But I wanted Watanuki to be protected just in case something else happens." He then stood up. "I guess we have to make due with what we got. And I think it's enough; right guys?"

A big bright blue sphere appeared around Fai as smaller but brighter spheres engulfed his hands; up to the wrists. "I'll try my best on my end, what about you, Kuro?" He smirked.

Kurogane scoffed. "I'm not some weakling." He cracked his knuckles. "He may _look_ strong but I'm sure as hell that he doesn't know how to use that kind of power. You good on your end kid?"

Syaoran picked up his sword. "I'll be fine. I won't be taken down easily." He then looked over at Yuui who was still sleeping. "But I think we should move Yuui away from the fight. We can't have him harmed in any way."

Just then the beast gave out a loud roar which shook the heavens above and the ground below.

The group hold their stance; trying to figure out a way to both protect Yuui and fight the creature.

"Syaoran! Hey Syaoran!"

The group looked over their shoulders to see Watanuki running up to them with Mokona on his left shoulder and a familar looking sword in his right hand. He seems to be out of breath as well. Fai and Syaoran narrowed their eyes at the weapon; the name of it was on the tips of their tongues. Now what was it again?

"Oi! Don't run with the silver dragon hanging like that!"

Oh... so that's what it was.

When Watanuki caught up with them, he hunched over; taking deep breaths. "I...made...it...huh!" He fell to the ground on his bottom. He gave them a shaky grin. " I know; I know...I'm not supposed to be here but...I think this weapon belongs to you...Kurogane." He held out the sword to the warrior. "The shopkeeper said that you gotta need to fight him."

Kurogane raised an eyebrow but took the sword. "The shopkeeper huh?" He glanced at the weapon. "Was there anything that the guy said that would help us?"

"Kinda." Watanuki then stood up with some difficulity. He then frowned. "He filled me in more or less on the situation right now." He pointed to the creature who was barring its teeth. "That's not Kyle; not anymore." He then sighed. "As it turned out his soul was filled with this blood that come from the unknown; the gaps or the dark places between worlds and such."

"You mean; those creatures that eat the souls of then dead?" Fai asked.

"Wait, you mean you know?" Kurogane said.

"No, not really." Fai shrugged as his magic was sparking around the sphere. "I have heard stories about it before; once as a child and again with Ashura. But I never thought that stories were true."

"Then...what happens to the actual Kyle; the person who we have met and fought time and time again?" Syaoran asked.

"I'm sorry..." Watanuki said; slightly surprised to see Yuui sleeping on the street. "But according to the shopkeeper; he's already dead by the time the transformation started. What was left of his soul was eaten away with the blood that was in him in the first place. He's gone."

The three shared a look. This situation was taken a scary and terrible turn. Though they would never really say it; they really felt pity for Kyle. Even now, they wished that such a cruel fate wasn't forced on him. But as always; it was meant to be; cruel or otherwise. Faithful to his master till the end...the perfect servant.

"On another note..." Watanuki started. "Mind telling me what the hell happened to Yuui? He's on the street just sleeping. You guys knocked him out or something?"

Fai and Kurogane looked at each other and shared a weak grin at the blue-eyed teen.

"You could say that."

Suddenly the big bright blue sphere expanded as a wave of lighting as shot; directed towards them. The sphere protected them completely. The group looked at the beast who had its arm extended; its palm smoking from the middle. A clear sign that it's getting really impatient.

"We can't stall anymore." Syaoran said. "Mokona, Watanuki. I want you guys to take Yuui and go somewhere safe. We'll fight this beast to the end."

"Okay~!" Mokona exclaimed happily before hopping away.

Watanuki nodded but looked a bit unsure. "Will you really be okay?"

"Sure." Syaoran grinned. "We've fought monsters time and time again. This won't be any different. We'll be back; I promise." He gave Watanuki a thumbs up. "You'll see."

Without realizing it, Watanuki smiled back and gave the group his thumbs up. "Okay then. I'll trust you to do so."

Fai nodded with a smile while Kurogane just scoffed.

"Now then," Watanuki knelled down next to Yuui. "Let's see if I can do this." He then took Yuui's arm and slumped half of the cooking teacher's body over his shoulder. "Damn..." He groaned. "This is much harder then I thought. If only that damn Doumeki were here. I'd hate to say it but he's stronger; he can carry Yuui-sensei no problem." Despite his complaints, Watanuki stood up with Yuui in toll. "I'll take him back to his house. We'll be waiting for you."

"Got it." Syaoran nodded. "Fai," He looked at the mage. "I want you to cast a defense spell on them; that way if there's any surprise attacks along the way; they can deflect it."

"Roger." Fai then uttered some seemingly inaudible words before the two glowed a faint blue. "There but be careful; that spell can only last for about twenty minutes. I'm afraid that you have to rush back before it wears off."

"That's fine. This isn't the first time I had to haul a sleepy person around." Watanuki then grumbled something about a drunken chairman and wasted Saturday nights. "Well then; I'm off." He walked as quickly as he could out of the sphere and away from the group. "Don't worry Yuui-sensei...I got you."

Yuui muttered something before becoming silent again.

The group looked at the retreating backs of their friends before hiding themselves from another attack of lightning came their way. Good thing that Fai's shield kept them safe.

Syaoran gripped his sword. Kurogane unsheathed his weapon. Fai readied himself.

_The ultimate battle now begins._

* * *

The shopkeeper took a drag of a cigarette before blowing a wind of smoke in the air. _"_As much as I hate to say it; I'm glad that group has arrived into that world; the world that is out of my range." He picked up a cup and drank the contents inside. "That Watanuki was very sweet and I hope for the best. It's a shame though that he never had that ability to see spirits like I could. But I guess it's better that way."

The black Mokona hopped on the porch with a tiny smile_. "_It was nice to see Mokona again too. And that Yuui guy; is he still sleeping?"

Frowning, the shopkeeper nodded. "Yes. It would seem that Fai wanted to show Yuui the life that he had before the journey. A shaky decision but what with that creature emrging from it's shell and Fai being who he is no matter what; its inevitable._"_

"So what happens to Yuui when he sees Fai's past plus his memories?" The black Mokona asked.

For a few minutes, the shopkeeper didn't say a word. Then he took another drag of the cigarette. "I'm afraid that's something that even I don't know. Whatever happens though, I hope Fai and the others are prepared for it."

* * *

_Even though everyone in our country of Valeria had been anticipating..._

_The birth of the younger emperor brother's prince..._

_Even the older emperor was looking forward to it..._

_**Why was it twins?**_

_[This can't be.]_

_The younger emperor brother passed away from an sudden illness_

**_I knew it;the twins are a bad omen._**

_[You're wrong. They're not bad omens; they're just kids!]_

_The water becoming impure..._

_The crops not growing..._

_The younger emperor's queen's own life..._

_Because she gave birth to twin princes..._

_**Such misfortune**_

_[It's not their fault! All those bad things just happen! They didn't cause any misfortune to anyone!]_

_**A bad omen, I knew it.**_

_**The twins are a bad omen.**_

_[You can't blame those innocent children for that! They are not to blame! Why can't you see that?]_

_Moreover with mighty magical powers..._

_Even though they are young..._

_If the two were joined..._

_They would already posses magic power ranking next to the emperor of the country of Valeria._

**_The older emperor brother._**

_If they allowed to grow up..._

_They might surpass the emperor.  
_

_[Those poor children. Those twins...you're punishing them just to avoid the fact that they'll overpower you one day. Disgusting.]_

_**They invite misfortune.**_

_[No.]_

_**Such misfortune.**_

_[No!]_

_Their mother and father was led to their death..._

_[It's not their fault.]  
_

_Even the country will be in ruin._

_[It's not their fault! Stop this! They wouldn't do such a thing.]_

_However..._

_[What?]_

_**If we kill them; the calamities will be even greater.**_

_[What do you mean by that? What are you going to do to them?]_

_..._

_[...what...what is this?]_

* * *

Somewhere...in a quiet bedroom, the sleeping figure was dreaming soundly. No expression, no movement. Silent and peaceful.

However...

It didn't stop the sleeping figure's hand from gripping tightly on the covers subconsciously.

_How further will he descend down the rabbit hole?_

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

_Now_ it has gotten serious. Don't worry though. Happy ending is ensured. ^_^

BTW- The last bit was from chapter 155: Unlucky Twins from the Tsubasa manga. Before you all go screaming at me, I check it out from a manga website. I don't have the volume...yet. (But I kinda wished that I did right now.) So I had to change it a bit just to make more sense of the lines that were on the website. So there you go. (And to be honest I hate reading Fai's past. The gore and death I can handle, the mental and emotional tear-down on one of my top favorite characters...not so much.)

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^**


	16. You will always be my brother

YES! I FINISHED THIS CHAPTER! PRAISE ME FOR I AM GREAT!

...

No, don't do that. I'll just get embarrassed. XD

But still, enjoy.

P.S-I think Kurogane could out-drink any German guy in a drinking contest. Just saying. XD**  
**

* * *

**You will always be my brother**

* * *

"_What….what is this…?"_

_All the memories up to this point were rushing into Yuui's head…or the subconscious level of his head. But that didn't stop them from giving him a massive headache. He knelled a bit over as his lower back was leaning on a pillar inside a grand room of some sort. It was all happening all too fast. He didn't know where to begin._

"_Damn you Fai." Yuui muttered loudly; knowing that no one would actually hear him. "Why couldn't you just tell me your past like a normal person?" He then paused before chuckling bitterly. "Of course, the people I meet aren't exactly normal; myself included." He rubbed his head as he straightened himself up against the pillar. He then looked around where he was._

"_Okay, I guess I'm in the throne room since that is a big chair on top of those stairs." He then flinched as the door opened and there were people going into the room; with a very old man leading them. As the old man reached the stairs; he started walking up as the crowd behind him scattered themselves to each side of the room. Yuui blinked. "They seem very quiet and…scared." _

_It wasn't a big surprise since he received Fai's memories and somehow the memories of the world around him. Born as twins, born as twin boys. Born to have the name the twins of misfortune. To be blamed for everything; grand or small that has happened to their home world. _

_It was amazing how Yuui's past paled greatly compared to his._

"_And I worry that my past was dim and dark." Yuui rubbed his left eye as he felt a tear trying to seep out of him. He caught it just in time. As he was putting his hand down, the door opened again this time revealing the so-called twins of misfortune. Yuui narrowed his eyes at the people around them; whispering about the rumors and the misery that those two had cause._

_To Yuui; gossip was gossip and it was utterly disgusting how people can be so superstitious all because of a birth of twins. But then again; what could be a blessing in one world could be a curse in another. But still…._

_The room suddenly got silent as one of the men thumped his spear down twice. The old man took his seat at the throne; staring at no one but the twins in front of him. The twins looked innocently back at him. However the king was not swayed. _

_Yuui looked at the scene sadly. It was already bad for the still young twins already. Outcast by their own people, shunned from having friends and no parents of their own to comfort them. He gritted his teeth angrily. And what's worse was that man; the old kind on that throne had a familiar face on him._

_The face of his great (and morbidly insane) uncle. Just the thought of that man gave him nightmares. The screaming, the yelling, the cursing; most of it directed at him and Fai before the two could even walk. So when the man finally died; it was almost a great relief to the two that they were freed from the torture…..almost._

"_Twins of misfortune." The old king started. "Twins of misery and misfortune. Because of your long-lived almighty magic, you are charged with all the calamities." He pointed at the two. "For that you two will be imprisoned; sealing away all the despair and anguish that the country has felt." _

_Yuui's heart sank several meters. Imprisonment? They are going to lock up small clearly innocent children for crimes that were out of their reach? He clenched his hands into tight fists. He was holding down his anger as much as he could. As far he can see, the ones that should be locked were that king and the people who he had a huge feeling started the horrid rumors of the twins._

_But he couldn't do anything. He couldn't even say anything. This was a memory. It already happened; no use getting worked up over something that was merely the past. But it was Fai's past but the past nonetheless. It was a very long time since he felt this useless._

"_However," The king continued. "If only the twins are miserable, the country will prosper and the people will become happy." There were quiet murmurs of shock and excitement amongst the crowd. However the only one who didn't look at all positive was Yuui…who had a fear-stricken look of his face. _

"_After all…..__**this is a curse**__."_

_Yuui covered his mouth as he tried his hardest not to scream out in anger. _

"_However the two must be separated in order for the prosperity to work." The king continued. "Therefore as part of the imprisonment, one twin will be locked up into the tower while the other will be below. They will be imprisoned in the valley of the damned. Their magic will be rendered useless and the time flow in that place will be different from our country." _

_The blonde shook his head as the crowd's murmurs of relief and happiness were getting louder. "No…no you can't do this….you can't just lock them up….how will that solve anything?"_

_The king frowned deeply at the twins before him. "The twins living and being unhappy would mean everyone's happiness." _

_Yuui didn't want to hear anymore as the king went on about the place and what it really was. But a part of him wouldn't allow it; no matter how much it hurt him inside. He needed to know._

_**Valley**_

_**Sinners**_

_**Graveyard**_

_**Disposal**_

_**Contained**_

_**Forgotten**_

_**Buried**_

_**Frozen**_

_**Fate**_

_**Misery**_

_**Death**_

_The blonde didn't know how much more he can take. It was already awful that such a country that imprisons children for no good reason existed; let alone making sure that _twin_ boys suffer as much as possible in hopes that _maybe_ the country will prosper in return. It was blasphemy at best._

"_However…." The king's voice rumble over the room. "There is another option. As you cursed beings find that this punishment is too dire for you then there's one other choice." He frowned. "__**One of you must be killed**__."_

"_W…What?" Yuui whispered out. "Y-You can't!"_

"_As this country's most cursed place, you twins will simply continue to be in that prison for the rest of your lives. But if you wish to avoid such a decision then one of you will have to be killed. Now then….choose."_

_The room suddenly became silent as no one uttered a word. The twins glanced at each other with unreadable expressions. To a normal person, it was just weird to see siblings look at each other like that but to Yuui…who was a twin himself…he knew what was going through their heads at the moment._

_It was in their eyes._

_One of the twins took the other twin's hand and squeezed in with reassurance. The other looked unsure but didn't oppose. They made their choice._

_The king leaned back and sighed. "Very well." He waved his hand. "Take the twins to the valley. They are by no means to leave that place…not until the destruction of this world."_

_The guards went and escorted the twins out of the room as the people followed suit. The only people that were left in the room were Yuui and the king._

_Yuui took deep breaths, it was from slight relief that neither one of the twins had to be killed. But then what he saw before now….it's going to happen. Well…it already happened but Yuui will see it nonetheless. Suddenly he heard a cough coming from the king. He looked up. At that moment he regretted so. _

"_T-Those eyes…." Yuui started. "That's the look that my great-uncle had before he…."_

* * *

Watanuki could only watch as he saw Yuui clenched his fists on the bed. The trip back to the cooking teacher's house wasn't a very difficult one. He didn't encounter any other monsters that might have been lurking in the shadows. He can only assume then that Kyle was the only thing that came. But he couldn't be sure of that.

Life is full of surprises after all.

The teen took out a handkerchief from his front pocket and wiped the sweat from Yuui's forehead. "Man, I don't know exactly what happened before I came but I hope Yuui will be alright." He then sighed. "It sucks that I couldn't help out more." He smiled sadly. "I may be a good cook and a hell of a runner but I'm not a fighter. I can't even punch someone without myself feeling the pain. I just wish there was something I can do for them."

Mokona looked at Watanuki's face with a frown. "There is something you can do."

Watanuki perked up. "Really? What is it?"

"You just need to smile." Mokona smiled. "I know that it's hard not knowing what to do but being sad won't help them at all. You just need to cheer up and just wait for them. That's what Sakura had to do with the others were fighting. Staying at the sidelines but rooting for them to win….and be there when they come back."

The teen blinked at Mokona's words. The furball did have a few good points. "I know that. But I'm not even sure if they are even coming back. What if they…." Watanuki didn't want to finish that sentence. It was already hard enough for him to think it let alone say it. "…you know…."

"Have faith, Watanuki." Mokona said softly. "They never broke a promise before, why start now?"

Somehow the teen felt comforted by those words. "You're right. I should be more optimistic about it. Oh! I know!" Watanuki exclaimed happily. "While they are out there fighting, I can make them a huge fest! Like roast beef, noodles, a salad oh and dessert!"

"Yay~! Cake! Mokona wants cake!" Mokona cheered. "Can I help?"

"Sure you can." Watanuki smiled. "How about I call Sakura and she can help us with the meal?"

Mokona looked a bit unsure but nodded. "Okay!"

Neither of them noticed that a faint glow of blue was shining around Yuui's body.

* * *

"Damn it all!" Kurogane cursed. "This guy just can't be taken down!" He gripped his sword but he had some difficulty standing. The beast was quick and fierce. It had senses of an animal so it can pin-point their moves even before they can even make one. However, between Fai's magic and Syaoran's growing fighting skills; all was not lost.

However, the beast was aiming at the ninja in particular since Kurogane was the strongest of the three in fighting. As Fai was blocking the creature's power with his magic as much as he could, the beast would move as fast as he can towards Syaoran but Kurogane would get in the way and make a few blows at the man itself.

It was almost like the creature was planning something.

Kurogane's head snapped up as he felt a wave of power starting to come out of the beast. He gritted his teeth. "Mage! Kid! Get the hell out of there!"

The two barely caught that as they jumped away from the beast. Suddenly Syaoran was violently pushed back into a wall of a building. It was so strong that it formed a crater surrounding the boy.

"Kid—" Kurogane suddenly drew his sword in front of him as the beast leaped towards him and tried to slash him with his claws. Nails and steel battling it out; neither one of them backing out. However, the more hits the beast made, the weaker Kurogane seemed to get. At the last blow, the ninja was kicked in the stomach that he flew a few feet. He hit the ground hard. He tried to stand up so he can give the monster a taste of his own medicine but something was wrong. "Damn it…" He tried to move his arms but they fell limp. As it turned out, most of his body couldn't move an inch. He stared at his sword in shock. "That piece of shit."

"Kuro!"

The ninja looked up just in time to Fai move in front of him and block the monster with a defense spell. Lightening sparked on the shield as Fai used as much energy as he could to hold it.

The mage then grinned. "Now Syaoran!"

The beast turned around. Then blood everywhere.

Kurogane and Fai saw Syaoran draw his sword. Now the boy was covered in the beast's blood. The mage distracted the creature with himself; giving Syaoran the chance to strike. It was a bit off though as the boy was aiming for the chest; instead he managed to slice off the monster's arm completely.

Fai took advantage of the moment and used a blast of power and sent the creature flying; only hitting the ground so hard that there was a crater shaped hole with it. Sighing, Fai dusted himself off. He then looked at the ninja. "Kuro-sama, are you okay?"

Groaning, Kurogane (by the grace of god) slowly sat up. "Yeah, I'm fine." He then sighed as he rubbed his head. "Damn it. I knew that bastard did something funny to me. I couldn't even move! I felt so damn weak!"

"You're not weak." Fai said softly. "The creature just drained some of your energy while fighting you. The rest well….you kinda overdid it." He smiled. "How about you just stick by me for the rest of this brawl?"

Kurogane frowned but he nodded at that. "Fine. It's not like I have any other options."

"Fai! Kurogane! Look!"

The adult pair saw Syaoran running up to them and all three of them looked at the beast. The creature was howling in pain and anger. The blood from the wound stopped flowing but it already formed a dark puddle below. The blood closed the wound. The eyes opened again only this time there wasn't anything. Just white eyeballs. No irises or even pupils; just white.

Fai looked away with a frown. "That's it then. Kyle is now completely gone from this world…or all worlds for that matter."

"….Then we should do him a favor." Syaoran said after a few moments of silence. "He may have been a villain….but he was influenced up to a point that he couldn't know right from wrong. Like us he was fooled by that man. And it's our duty to end the creature's life that took over Kyle's body. We have to; for his sake."

Kurogane sighed. "The kid's right." He slowly stood up with Fai's help. "I wouldn't like some crappy creature taking over my damn body. I'd defeat it."

"Yeah…." Fai hesitantly said. "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy; certainly not Kyle of all people."

"Then it's settled." Syaoran readied his sword. "We kill this thing for Kyle."

"Yeah."

"Of course."

The three and the beast raced towards each other for the last time.

* * *

Watanuki suddenly stood up as he heard a knock on the door. "Coming!" He dropped a book to the living room couch and went for the door. He opened the door and smiled. "Sakura! I'm so glad that you can make it!"

Sakura giggled as Watanuki made way for her to enter. "Well when you called saying that you were making a fest for Yuui-sensei's new friends; how can I resist?" She had a few bags of food in each hand and started making her way to the kitchen with Watanuki followed. "It'd be nice to see that boy again. I thought it'd be great to make something for him; even if it's only once."

The blue-eyed teen nodded but noticed that Mokona hopped away from them and down the hallway. _'Oh. I guess she wanted to be with Yuui instead. So much for her agreeing to help.'_ "Um…let me get those bags for you; it must be heavy carrying those."

"No. I'm fine." Sakura smiled. "Besides, it's not the first time I carry a lot of bags." She then clasped her hands. "Guess what happened. When I was at the store to get a few items, there was a big fight doing on not too far from the building." She then squealed. "I bet it's a fight scene from a movie or something like an act. It was really cool what with the special effects and all~!"

Watanuki kept his mouth shut about that bit. Chances are Sakura unknowingly saw the battle between Syaoran and the gang against the beast. She must have been a bit too far to actually see them. So he decided to just play dumb. "Really? That's cool. Maybe we can see the actual movie soon." _'I get the feeling that bringing Sakura here might be a bad idea. Hopefully by the time the guys get back, Yuui will be awake and we can just pretend that nothing bad ever happened-oh who am I kidding I can just already feel the tension and they are not even back.'_ He sighed. "Um…you wouldn't happen to have some sake with you; now would you?"

* * *

In Italy, a certain blonde found himself looking at the sky with a very calm expression. He didn't know why he was looking…but he had a feeling that something somewhere was happening. He just didn't know what exactly. He didn't flinch as he heard the hotel door open and a few steps that followed.

"Oi, Fai." A gruff voice called him out. "You ready yet? We have that damn double date to go to with that bubbly guy and that poor guy who's stuck with him." He noticed that the blonde was oddly quiet and was staring into space. "Hey…are you alright?"

"…Say Kurgs…" The blonde said softly. "Do you ever get that weird feeling inside? That kinda makes you think that….I don't know…that all's not right with the world?"

Sighing, Kurogane walked towards the bed and sat on the edge. "Yeah, I get that feeling sometimes. Most of those times are either with the school or… with you."

With those words, Fai turned his head and softly smiled. "It's nice to know that you worry about me." He then turned his attention back to the sky. "But….I couldn't help but think that this weird feeling I have….involves Yuui somehow."

"Yuui?" Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you did call him; right?"

"Silly puppy; of course I did." Fai chuckled. It soon died down as if it never came. "But that feeling didn't go away; if anything it just grew. Now I don't know what to do." He sighed as he could hear people below him just walking, laughing, talking; just having a great time. "Was it a mistake; to come here to a place that Yuui worked so hard to get out of? I mean, shouldn't we tried harder to take him with us? He sounds so alone back in Japan. And I feel terrible because I'm having fun while he's willowing in misery right now." He then groaned. "I'm such a terrible older brother."

"No, you're not." Kurogane said with a frown. "I mean, yeah things tend to fly over that air-headed skull of yours but I know that you heart's in the right place." He then moved back as he laid on the bed. "You care about your brother and want nothing more than to see him happy. But you can't be there every time he feels down. I thought the whole point of you guys spending time away from each other was to have your own happiness."

"I know." Fai pouted; though Kurogane couldn't see it. "But lately it's like Yuui doesn't want to be happy. Like he can't afford to be brought down again. It happened once when we were kids…when our parents died. He doesn't want that. And as his brother; I feel responsible for…making him this way."

"It was his choice. There wasn't anything you can do about it." Kurogane calmly said. "Besides, he doesn't blame you for anything nor does he want to get angry on something that has already happened. Maybe he wanted to find his own piece of happiness; something that would give him closure once and for all. Whatever it is though, he has to do on his own."

Kurogane didn't have to move as he felt some weight on his chest. He looked down to see Fai smiling up at him. "What?"

"Yuui was right." Fai grinned. "You do have a heart of gold and a kind soul. Seeing that part of you actually is kinda cute."

The man blushed but sighed. "So glad that you're back to somewhat of an idiot." He then sat up; pulling Fai up with him. "Now can we go now? That German guy had reservations in twenty minutes and he's very anal about being there on time."

Fai nodded. "Sure…and if you're good; you might get a treat afterwards."

Kurogane grinned. "Looking forward to that."

* * *

_Bodies_

_Bodies covered in snow._

_Supposed sinners of Valeria._

_Dropped and forgotten_

_Never to be seen again._

_But those twins._

_One keeps trying_

_The other waiting with hope._

_Every day, he'll try._

_And every day, he'll fail._

_Years will go by._

_He never stopped trying._

_And I'd just watch him from afar._

_Just hoping that he'd one day succeed._

_But he never did._

_More bodies start to fall from the sky._

_More than I thought possible._

_But it didn't matter to him._

_He just wanted to be with his brother again._

_If I were in his place, I would too._

_Then…something felt wrong._

_Men_

_Women_

_Even children fell from the sky._

_This wasn't right._

_What did they do?_

_What sin did they make?_

_He noticed it as well._

_Before we both knew it._

_The world's destruction was knocking on the door._

_Then the king…that old man fell into the blood-stained know._

_He yelled at the twins._

_He blamed them._

_He sneered at them._

_Then….ended his life right in front of them._

_Making the final blow on their lives._

_It made me sick._

_It made me angry._

_It made me feel a bit empty inside._

_Of course._

_As long as those twins exist_

_There's no such thing as happiness for Valeria…_

_Is there?_

_That other brother, knew that too._

_And just wanted to die._

_Die right there where he sat._

_His twin's voice drowning out from above._

_I can't take it anymore._

_It was evil._

_It was unnatural._

_It was….._

_Isn't there anyone who help?_

_Isn't there someone?_

_Please…._

_It can't end like this._

_Then like a pin hitting the ground,_

_A voice came out._

_Then a face…._

_But for some reason…._

_I felt more scared for them than I ever was…. _

_What….who is he?_

[_**Do you wish to leave this place?**_]

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

That last line was from Tsubasa manga; chapter 157. Just wanted to wrap the chapter up with that. XD

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
**


	17. The Truth will always hurt

I'm no good at writing fight-scenes. I'll just stick to humor; it's what I do best anyway. ^_^ So forgive me if the fight is lack-luster at best.

Also, when you get those scenes with Yuui, it'll be explained later. With that said, this story is getting closer to the end.

But I won't spoil anything more then that. You just have to wait. ^_^

Enjoy~! ^_^

* * *

**The truth will always hurt**

* * *

Kurogane sliced off the other arm of the creature's as Fai made another distraction with his magic. After the last couple of blows, the group is now have an advantage. Between Syaoran cutting the beast and adult pair defending the boy, the creature was now at its end.

However, the creature was stubborn and very angry.

It roared as he charged at Syaoran, The boy was ready to slice down the beast once and for all. Then without warning, it changed direction and went straight for Fai.

The boy's eyes widened as Fai was caught off-guard by the move. "Fai, get out of the way!" He then he was shocked at what he saw.

Fai didn't see that coming. He tried to conjure up a shield…but those eyes, those soulless eyes were now staring into him as if it was trying to steal his soul. He froze. Then his life flashed right before his eyes. An image of his brother filled his mind. He had failed once again and it was his entire fault. All of it.

_Fai…._

_Fai…._

_Fai…_

"FAI!"

Then blood spilled onto the street.

* * *

"Yuui's crying." Mokona softly said as she looked at the blonde. "I think he now knows what happened to Fai."

"Yes but not all of it." The shopkeeper said. "There are still a lot of memories that Yuui was to go through. Some more painful than others. But he's stubborn. He'll see this nightmare through to the end."

Mokona nodded. She left the kitchen in such a hurry a while ago as she suddenly got more worried about Yuui and his condition. She then contacted the shopkeeper who knew more or less of what's happening to Yuui.

Though it was silently agreed that either of them didn't like it one bit.

"Fai and Yuui are different." The shopkeeper calmly said. "However they are the same. They don't share the same soul…but they do share the same heart. Their sadness, their loneliness, and the darkness they experienced throughout their lives up to this point. " The sound of sake pouring was heard before the shopkeeper picked up a cup. "However, they knew that the despair must end since we all know nothing lasts forever. The problem is if they are willing to end it."

"But Fai has Kurogane." Mokona argued.

"Ah but even then it wasn't enough." The shopkeeper pointed out. "Remember Acid Tokyo? Kurogane saved Fai's life because that's what he wished. But Fai didn't wish that now did he? He thought that if he died, the pain and the burden that he had would disappear. But even after death, nothing is resolved." He then sighed. "So when he was turned into a vampire, he refused to be close to Kurogane again. And even though Kurogane was with him, he didn't want to acknowledge the fact that the ninja wanted to help him; to save him. Because at that point, he felt like he wasn't the type of person that should be saved. He had to see the error of his decisions one way or another."

"And Yuui?"

"Yuui is a bit different." The shopkeeper said hesitantly. "He had a fairly normal life….on the outside. On the inside was a different matter." He took a sip of his cup. "Because in certain worlds, the other versions of him either dead or non-existent (Some cases with the name Fai), Yuui subconsciously carried some of the darkness and loneliness of his other selves. Twins of Fluorites never really have a completely happy life. The misery would either start at birth or later in life. Somehow, Yuui had that feeling and as a result held onto his family in hopes that it would be true but that made him more vulnerable to being emotionally weak."

Mokona covered her mouth with her paws. "But it's not Yuui's fault. He didn't want to be weak. He just like having a family."

"And yet, he puts everyone's happiness over his." The shopkeeper said. "Granted, Yuui in this world is a bit more mature then this world's Fai. However, he's overlooking something very important."

"And what's that?" Mokona asked.

The shopkeeper pressed his lips into a thin line. "To be honest, I don't have a clear idea on that. Maybe it's the fact that he's someone that is on the borderline of existence."

"What does that mean?"

"…it means that on the night of his parents' deaths…..something else happened that wasn't supposed to."

* * *

Syaoran froze on the spot at the scene in front of him. He didn't think it would happen. Before his eyes was the creature that was hell-bent on hurting or even killing Fai. But something was off…because Fai was on the ground; unharmed but very sacred. And he had every right to be.

Because the steel of a blade was sticking through the beast's chest and sticking out of the back.

Kurogane breathed heavily as he smirked. He managed to stick through the beast at the last minute. That bastard tried to pull a fast one in them by going to Fai instead. He moved just as fast and blocked the monster from Fai and stabbed the beast cleanly. But there was one flaw with that move.

And the problem was pouring blood onto the street.

Fai shakily stood up. He covered his mouth as what he saw. That monster…the beast of a once person, had its long sharp teeth sank into Kurogane's right shoulder. And it was bleeding…blood just oozing out of the flesh and into the street. It was staining the ninja's clothes and part of his hair. Red….almost as red as the man's eyes. "K-Kuro…."

"Not yet." Kurogane grunted. He then gritted his teeth. "NOW!"

As if on command, Syaoran snapped out of his stupor and readied his sword. He then quickly charged and leaped into the air. With a shout, his sword went down at the same time Kurogane forced himself to punch the monster hard in the jaws making it momentarily let go of the man's shoulder.

It was more than enough time to finish it off.

The monster's head was sliced off and it flew in mid-air before plopping into the ground. It laid there with its teeth still bearing and its tongue out. But at the base of the wound, blood started pouring out of the body. With a grin, Kurogane kicked the body back; releasing its hold from the blade and the corpse fell with a loud thud.

A few seconds of silence followed.

Syaoran fell to the ground on his knees with shock and relief. He moved his blade to get rid of the blood that stained it. He looked up at his companions and gave them a shaky grin. "T-That was the weirdest fight we had…I think."

"Having our enemy turn into a creature that looks like a werewolf and soulless after with lighting powers? Yeah, I think it's somewhere in the weird scale." Fai shakily grinned back. "Good thing that you and Kuro-puu worked together to finish him off, right Kuro-puu?"

"…"

"…Kuro-sama?" Fai then gasped as the ninja fell to his knees as well; holding his bleeding shoulder with his robotic arm. The mage went to the man's side with worry. "Kurogane, are you okay? Oh god, I'm so sorry." He started to cry. "I should've moved when I had the chance. I didn't mean for you to get hurt so badly, please forgive me—"

"Mage, _shut up_." Kurogane finally grunted out. "It's just a flesh wound. I was fast…but that thing was faster. It was either me or you and I wasn't damn ready to lose you again because-" A wave of pain went through him as he sucked in some air. "Look, we killed the thing and the freaking nightmare is over with. Now the problem is what to do now."

"…I have…an idea." Syaoran spoke up. "I think…we should clean up all the blood and any damage we have made in this part of town." He then glanced at the headless corpse. "Then…we should bury the body somewhere but destroy the head; to prevent another event like this." He then looked at Kurogane who was in great pain. "But we should tend to you first, Kurogane." He said as he went up to the warrior.

"I'm fine." Kurogane said with gritted teeth. "I just need this damn wound to stop bleeding."

Fai frowned at the man's stubbornness. "Kurgs, you're wounded and you're hurting badly." He then ripped part of his jacket and started wrapping the shoulder. "At this rate, you might pass out from bleeding and we don't have the man power to drag you home. And you know I can't use my magic. So please, just let me worry about you this once."

Kurogane looked away as the mage tended to his shoulder. "Fine. But I hate it when you worry about me."

"Same goes to you, Kurgy." Fai softly smiled.

"Oh boy, the police are coming." Syaoran snapped his head up with a frown. "They must have heard all of the noise and are on their way." He then ran towards the head and picked it up. "Fai, I need you to clean up the blood and fix the damages. Kurogane, can you move?"

"Of course I damn can. What do you take me for?" Kurogane stood up but still holding his arm. "Just tell me what to do."

Syaoran frowned but nodded. "Okay, I need your help to drag the body as quickly as we could. Fai will take the head since he's not cut out for hard labor anyway."

"If this situation wasn't so dire, I would have been very offended by that Syaoran." Fai smiled. He then caught the head as Syaoran threw it to him. "Now there's a face; I wonder if Kuro-sama's tongue and reach that far."

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "You just had another brush with death and you're making innuendos? Crazy mage." He then grabbed onto the corpse on one side as Syaoran grabbed another. "Okay so have the thing. So where the hell should we take it to bury?"

"If I may." Fai smiled. "I think I know the perfect place to do a proper burial."

"Okay, then let's hear it." Kurogane grunted. "Where is it?"

* * *

The trio stared at the burning pile that was the head with each one of them having a different expression. Since their arrival to this world, Fai took upon himself to check the town's map to see where the places are. One of them was a cemetery. It was a fairly small one with about twenty head stones altogether. However, it was the only cemetery there. With no other options they began.

With Kurogane's bad arm, Syaoran took care most of the digging (with Kurogane helping though in the beginning). As they buried the body fully, with magic Fai set the head on fire and placed it right next to the grave. Kurogane and Syaoran dumped some sticks to keep the fire going.

With sad eyes, Syaoran clasped his hands and made a prayer. He felt his eyes sting a bit at the raw emotion of uselessness that followed. He then felt a hand on his head. He looked up at Kurogane who had a frown which didn't completely reach his eyes.

"There was nothing you can do, kid." The ninja said. "He was out of our hands even before we knew he was here. He may have disappeared but we sure as hell won't forget him. Not while we're alive."

"Well spoken, Kuro-sama." Fai then approached the grave with something in his hands. "Since we don't have a head stone for poor Kyle I have made what people call a cross with sticks and grass. Plus I made a flower crown for it as well." He stuck the made cross into the ground and then placed the flower crown over it. He stepped back and made a quick prayer. "Dear Kyle, you may be gone but you are not forgotten. I just hope that somewhere that you are living a happy life; away from that man. Amen."

The other two bow their heads.

"Now then." Syaoran sighed. "I think it'd be smart to go back to Yuui's house and relax. I bet he's very worried about us."

_'Yeah, that is if he wakes up and all.'_ Kurogane glanced towards Fai who obviously had a guilty expression on his face. "The kid's right. We should get back. No doubt that the pork bun is crying waterfalls with us being gone for so long."

"Oh and Watanuki." Syaoran added. "I bet he stayed with him so he'd had company. We should thank him to while were at it." He finally looked at Fai who had a hard time making eye-contact. "Fai, is there something wrong?"

Lifting his head, Fai fidgeted his fingers. "Actually...there is. Um...I have to tell you something Syaoran and..it's not easy for me to say this."

Blinking, Syaoran shrugged. "Okay then, what is it that you want to tell me."

Glancing at Kurogane (who nodded in return), Fai gulped. "Well you see..."

* * *

Mokona gasped as Yuui's breathing slowed down to a normal rate. "Is it over?"

"Almost." The Shopkeeper said. "Now what's left is the memories of what happened after the final battle of Seresu. I'm surprised he lasted this long without screaming." He yawned as he rubbed his eyes. "Goodness, I couldn't remember a time when I actually stayed up all night."

"It's night there?"

Well it's early morning now." The shopkeeper smiled. "It's funny though. Before becoming the shop-keeper I would stay up all night, reading my books and listening to the radio. Too bad those days are long gone." He then blinked as he stared at Yuui. "Wait a second..."

"What it is? Is something wrong with Yuui?" Mokona asked frantically. "Is he dying, sick, hurt...anything?"

"No, no. It's nothing like that." The shopkeeper reassured. "However...I'm getting a faint aura of something..." He narrowed his eyes. "It feels like magic but I can't be sure. Whatever it is, Yuui has it now."

"It's nothing bad though, right?" Mokona sniffled as she rubbed her eyes with her tiny paws. "Yuui's a good friend and he's been helping us since we got here. I don't want anything terrible happening to him."

The shopkeeper wished he can just go through the transmission and just hug the poor thing. But he should keep a firm grip of the situation and act accordingly. Because there's no use in having two people crying with no one else to help. "I assure you, Mokona. No harm has or will come to Yuui. Like I said before he's emotionally weak...however he can very stubborn. And a bit of stubborness can go a long way."

Giggling a bit, Mokona nodded. "Yeah, just like a certain Kuro-puu."

* * *

"You did _what_?"

Fai cringed as he leaned towards Kurogane for comfort (or protection). "I know Syaoran, it was a dumb move but I had no other choice-"

"No other choice?" Syaoran angrily said loudly. "You have a million options to choose from and you just pick the stupidest one of all. And what ever happened to ' why ruin a good thing' huh? You obviously just ruined a good thing: your friendship with Yuui! You could have just told him that talking about it hurts you but no, guess that never entered your mind; now did it?"

The mage looked away in guilt.

"Look Syaoran." Kurogane calmly intervened. "It's true that what the mage did was beyond stupid. We'll agree to that but...you didn't see the look on Yuui's face when he thought he knew what happened to the mage and his past."

"What?"

"Yuui was told by Kyle that Fai killed his own brother just to save himself and...it didn't go well afterwards." Kurogane continued. "I knew what the mage did was stupid but even if he did say anything, I freaking doubt that he'd listen to a word of it. So..."

"I made a risk and showed him instead." Fai finished. "I used a bit of my magic and copied my memories, my past and the events into his head. Him passing out was just a side-effect." He then smiled sadly. "I'm very sorry that I made you guys upset again. I...there isn't any excuse for what I done no matter how much I want one. I'm sorry."

Syaoran let out a very angry sigh before rubbing his head. "No...I'm sorry. I shouldn't explode on you like that. I'm just upset over the whole situation that we just had I misdirected it onto you. You were right to tell and as long as you admit your mistakes, I'm okay with that."

Kurogane rolled his eyes as Fai jumped and gave Syaoran a very tight hug. "Why the hell am I stuck with those two again?" Though he let out a small smile.

* * *

Sakura heard a knock on the door and dusted her hands. "I'll get the door." When Watanukin nodded, Sakura went to the door and unlocked it. As she opened the door, she was met by a familiar pair of brown eyes. She squealed. "Tsubasa~! You're back~!" She pulled the boy inside and gave him a big hug.

Syaoran or rather 'Tsubasa' blushed as the close contact but let the girl hug him anyway. "S-Sakura...it's good to see you again." As the girl let go of him, the boy was confused. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home...safe and sound?"

The girl giggled. "Well I was home but Watanuki called and told me that he was making a feast for his new friends. At first I was very confused but when he told me that they were living at Yuui's house, I just knew it'd be you~!"

The boy chuckled nervously. "I see. Well I'm very grateful that you went out of your way to make it but you didn't have."

"I wanted to." Sakura said calmly. "I just...wanted to see you one last time...you're my friend afterall."

Taking Sakura's hand softly into his, Syaoran lifted that hand and placed a soft kiss. "Thank you so much...princess." He smiled as he saw Sakura's face turn red. _'Just like old times...'_

"Hyuu~! Looks like a certain boy is courting a lovely young girl~!"

The two teenagers jumped and turned their heads to see the adult pair just entering the house.

Sakura was suprised to say the least; especially seeing one of them with a injury. "Ah...oh hello, I'm Sakura." She formally bowed. "I'm guessing you're Tsubasa's companions right? I have to say...you two look a lot like Fai-sensei and Kurogane-sensei...unless..." She blinked. "You're-"

"No sweetie, we're not who you think we are." Fai waved it off with a laughing smile. "It's complicated if we explained it to you. But it'll become clear in time." He then glanced at Syaoran with a smirk. "_Tsubasa._ Could you please get the first aid kit so we can properly tend to poor Kuro-puu's shoulder~?"

Blushing at his real name, Syaoran nodded and went down the hall.

Sakura glanced at the adult-pair look-alikes and frowned. "Um...is your names really Fai and Kurogane?"

"Yup~!" Fai nodded.

"You could say that." Kurogane said as he tried to push Fai away...and failing.

The girl giggled. "You guys are almost like the Fai and Kurogane that I know. But a lot more mature." She missed the looks of awe and surprise as she continued. "Besides, I know for a fact that those two teachers are still in Italy. If they weren't they let us know."

Kurogane sighed a bit. "So those two teachers...they're good friends with you, huh?"

Sakura nodded. "It's not just with me, they're friends with a lot of people...like Watanuki, Syaoran, Doumeki and others. It's just that Kurogane-sensei isn't that social and prefered things in a preserved matter...while Fai-sensei's social butterfly and gets along with everyone. So when they met it was all fighting, yelling, and chasing. So it wasn't much of a shock when the two got together. They were perfect for each other and they were happy...like you two."

Fai chuckled. "I can imagine so. Besides, why would I or the other Fai pick anyone else other then our adorable big doggies~?" He pulled Kurogane close to him with a soft smile.

The ninja blushed. "I couldn't get the hell away from you even if I tried. And I know that the other Kurogane had the same problem. Air-headed morons." He grumbled.

The girl giggled. They were really like her teachers...but at the same time they weren't. She figured that she shouldn't question a good thing. "So...how did you get that nasty wound, Kurogane-san?"

"Just Kurogane's fine." The ninja said. "And it's nothing. I got bit. That's all."

"But that's a very deep wound and there's blood seeping out of that cloth." Sakura pointed out with a slightly pale face.

"Are you queasy at the sight of blood, Sakura?" Fai said with a bit of concern. "You don't have to force yourself to stay if that's the case."

The girl shook her head. "It's okay. I can handle it." She smiled reassuringly. "But what could have bit you that would cause a wound so deep?"

Fai and Kurogane looked at each other.

"Let's just say...that it was a huge animal and Kurogane provoked it." Fai smiled.

* * *

After Syaoran gave Fai the first aid kit, he felt that he needed to have a talk with Watanuki. He entered the kitchen to see Watanuki finishing up some dishes. He cleared his throat. "Hey."

Watanuki flinched before turning his head to the boy. "Oh Syaoran...you're back." He smiled nervously. "I'm glad."

Syaoran sighed. "Watanuki, we need to talk. _Now_." He then blinked as he was given a jar of sugar.

"I-I know." Watanuki said with a small smile. "Just...I'm still making that feast for you guys so...can you give me a hand while we talk?"

Glancing at the jar, Syaoran nodded. "Okay."

* * *

[A couple minutes before]

"Yay~! They're back~!" Mokona said as she heard the door and voices. "That means that they won~!"

"I never doubt that they would." The shopkeeper smiled. "However there is one pressing matter that still needs to be dealt with and he's on the bed; still dreaming."

Mokona frowned. "Do you think...that he won't wake up even if he saw all of Fai's past and memories?"

"Good question. But I don't think he'll go into a coma or anything like that." The shopkeeper took of his glasses and wiped the lenses with a cloth. "I guess it's up to him if he wants to wake up or not."

Just then one of Yuui's hands started to twitch. His breathing was a bit fast and his eyelids were moving a bit. Mokona and the shopkeeper held their breaths to see what would happen. Then a flash of bright blue light blinded the room before it disappeared. Then nothing.

"What was that?" Mokona asked; surprised by the whole thing.

"I'm...not sure myself." The shopkeeper shook his head. "But I have a guess...maybe it's-"

Suddenly, those eyelids started to lift up as a pair of bright blue eyes was seen.

Mokona jumped up and down. "Yay~! Yuui's awake, Yuui's awake~!"

"Welcome back to the world of the living, Yuui." The shopkeeper greeted. He then frowned as he saw the cooking teacher sat up very slowly...like he was a zombie. "Um Yuui...are you okay?" He then was caught off-guard as he then saw Yuui covering his face with his hands and his shoulders shaking. Then it hit the shopkeeper. He was crying.

The cream puff was confused by the sudden action but nonetheless as she walked up to Yuui and touched his leg. "Yuui?"

The shopkeeper frowned. "I think the pain and misery of what he saw is really setting in."

* * *

"Hyuu~! Look at all of this food~!" Fai cheered. "You really weren't kidding when you said that you ans Sakura were making a feast for us~!"

Sakura and Watanuki blushed as they looked anywhere else but their friends' faces.

"Really though, thank you very much." Syaoran said with a smile. "We don't get this kind of stuff everyday and we're very grateful for what you have done for us."

"It's no problem, Tsubasa." Sakura smiled.

"I'm...just glad that I could help...even a little." Watanuki mumbled shyly.

Fai elbowed Kurogane in the stomach with a smile. "Kuro-chan, you're supposed to say thank you to those nice people."

Glaring at the mage, Kurogane sighed and turned his attention to the two. "Um...yeah; what the kid said...t-thanks...yeah..."

"Aw~! Kuro-Kuro's blushing~! He's so adorable~!" Fai cooed with a wide grin.

"_Shut up_ you moron!"

The rest of the group laughed as the man tried to hit the mage and the mage dodged. Their laughter stopped as they heard a loud noise before Mokona came into view.

"There you are, you annoying pork bun." Kurogane casually said. "Where the hell were you?"

Mokona hopped onto Watanuki's shoulder. "It happened. It really happened."

"What happened?" Syaoran asked. "You're not making any sense."

"Wait, Watanuki...wasn't Yuui sleeping in that room?" Sakura asked. Then there was another loud sound. The door slammed close.

Everyone gasped and all of them had a look of shock their faces. Then they heard the sounds of footsteps coming down the hallway and towards them. It was getting louder and louder. Everyone held their breath. Then a figure stepped into the room. He looked tired, was lumping a bit and was very silent.

Fai was the first to speak. "Yuui...are you okay?"

At the mention of his name, Yuui snapped his head up and wished that he hadn't. His tear-stained eyes were shown to the rest of the group. This wasn't what he wanted...not at all. He gulped. "Fai...we...we need to talk."

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

God, the last scene sounded a hell of a lot better in my freaking head. If it doesn't make sense, I'm sorry. DX

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^**


	18. The aftermath of pain

After about two or so months of selective writer's block and thinking that the very file was lost forever, the story's finally been updated. ^_^

(I wonder if anyone even care about this story anymore...)

Anyway, if I don't drag this story any longer, it might end with 25 chapters with the epilogue. ^_^ Since I have a clear idea how to end it. ^_^

Enjoy. ^_^**  
**

* * *

**The aftermath of pain**

* * *

"_I had a dream."_

_Fai blinked as he turned to face his brother. "What dream?"_

"_That dream…a dream that was snowing a lot." Yuui whispered. "It was surreal at best. I was standing somewhere, surrounded by snow and it would be so cold but I wouldn't shiver." He then sighed. "Then there he was…a person just standing not too far away from me. He would smile…but it never reached his eyes."_

_Sitting up, Fai glanced at Yuui with concern. "I see. Was it dad? You haven't been great since our parents….you know…." He muttered the last part. It had been a year since their parents' death. Fai and Chi were starting to get better, they soon got over the misery and tried to continue living as if nothing happened. _

_Yuui though was another story._

"_I don't know." Yuui said with a frown. "It didn't look like father….in fact he looked anything but father for that matter." He then rubbed his head. "But it was strange, he kinda looked like me…and he wore some weird clothes. He let out something out of his hand…something bright blue."_

"_Whoa, that sounds cool." Fai smiled. "Was it some sort of magic like you see on TV and movies?"_

"_I don't know." Yuui chuckled. "But…it was small but beautiful. That thing just flew to me. I remember touching it and it felt so warm." He then clasped his hands together. "It went inside of me and I felt something different." _

"_Different how?" Fai asked. "Was it pain or something else?"_

"_It was definitely something else." Yuui shifted his eyes. "But the strangest thing happened. When I landed my eyes back at the figure, he was already gone. But a voice was heard in the wind and I listen to every word of it."_

"…_.What did that voice say?" Fai asked softly. He then blinked as saw tears coming from Yuui's eyes. It almost made him want to cry as well._

"_**Don't disappear.**__"_

* * *

Yuui found himself sitting at his bed once again as pieces of what he had seen and remembered were rushing back into his head. His eyes ran out of tears to shed and he felt very tired. He covered his face with his hands as he felt his heart tearing and breaking inside. Of all the times to shut down, why did he do it in front of his friends?

The door opened quietly reveling Fai carrying a tray of food. He tried his best not to frown for Yuui's sake. The man has been through enough as it was. "Um….hey Yuui. I'm here. And look, I got you some food. Watanuki and Sakura made it. And they made your favorite dessert; Chocolate fondant."

The room stood silent.

Clearing his throat, Fai closed the door and went to place the food on the nightstand. He then walked around the bed and carefully sat next to Yuui. He can tell that he was trying to reel his head back to reality but has difficulty doing that. "I….uh…." He fiddled his fingers in guilt. "I just wanted to say….that I apologize for hurting you this badly." He touched Yuui's shoulder. He wasn't surprised to see the man flinching.

"During my travels, I have been hiding a very dark past about not only myself but of the worlds I have lived in before meeting the group. I thought…if I just smile and pretend to be happy then others wouldn't have to worry about me or ask me about my past. Of course Kuro-sama saw through me." Fai then sighed as he pulled back his hand. "But I messed up, in more ways than one. And I paid dearly for those mistakes. I still do. So….if you don't want to talk to me or even look at me because of that, I understand."

The room fell silent once again.

Looking at the floor, Fai started to stand up. He thought that silence was a sign that Yuui wanted nothing to do with him. So it was very surprising to the mage when he felt a hand gripping his sleeve; stopping any movements from him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Yuui's sapphire eyes staring at him to stay; _pleading_ at him to stay.

"Don't…..please…." Yuui started with a whimper. "Just stay…I…I…" He then blinked as Fai sat back down and gave him a one arm hug.

"Thank you."

* * *

Kurogane couldn't stop staring at the hallway. It has been about twenty minutes and so far, nothing has happened. No shouting, no yelling and certainly no sounds of anything breaking. If this was any normal situation, he'd be in immense relief. But this was Fai _and_ Yuui. Yuui who had not only seen Fai's past but also his memories. And Fai being who he was and now is. So to not hear anything from that room made him more or less paranoid.

"Are you worried about them?"

The ninja snapped his head over to Sakura who was looking back at him with a bit of sadness. He scoffed. "Of course not. That moron made a choice and a stupid choice at that. So if Yuui wants to choke the living daylights out of him that's fine with me." Who was he kidding? His heart was grown soft over the years and with that some level of sincerity. He _was_ worried about Fai and he _was_ worried about Yuui. Those two have become so close; almost like they were really related. But now….it might unravel.

The man just couldn't handle that if it were to happen.

Sakura smiled a bit as she took a bite of the pasta. "It's okay to worry about them. I'm worried about them too." She then placed her fork down. "I didn't see Yuui at all before he walked into the room. He looked so much in pain. He was tired, sad and upset. I can only hope that whatever happens in that room would be for the better."

Glancing at Sakura, Syaoran nodded. "I agree. Besides I doubt that anything terrible will happen."

Mokona nodded as she filled her mouth with cookies.

"But Yuui has been through a lot." Watanuki pointed out. "I've seen him while he was sleeping. Whatever Fai has done to him; it was pretty bad. I don't even think he was sleeping!" He then backed off a bit as he felt Kurogane's stern glare on him. "I-I'm not saying that he's bad or anything but it's not right either!"

Sakura frowned but inside she agreed.

"Yeah, you're right." Syaoran said. "Kurogane, you should just calm down and wait for those two to come out. You said so yourself; what's done is done. Not much we can do now but eat and hope for the best." He then continued with his plate.

Kurogane didn't like the suggestion but silently admitted defeat as he finished of his bread roll. This was the moment that Fai tells Yuui who he really is. And who was he to try and find any excuse not to happen? The mage had avoided that part ever since they arrived and look what happened. Once again, he would have to back off and let things happen.

There are things that you can't prevent and there are people that you just can't rescue from their problems. No matter how much you wanted to.

* * *

"All of that pain….."

"I know."

"All of that agony…."

"I know."

"And the fact that your real name is…."

"It's very hard to grasp that at first, I know."

Yuui leaned on Fai's shoulder as he grabbed the hem of the mage's shirt. He began to calm down from the initial shock and started to listen to what Fai had to say. When the mage started talking, he wasn't surprised at first. After all he had seen Fai's past first-hand. But when it got the people he encountered, he couldn't help but feel like he understood him.

To have friends who cared about him, to have some sort of family with him regardless of blood-relation and just have the ability to forget the past once and for all. Something that Yuui wanted to do for a very long time.

But that pain lingered for both of them.

"When Kuro-sama finally told me about how he felt about me back in Japan, I felt that I was released from those shackles that kept me down." Fai smiled. "It was…uplifting and warm. Like I was flying for the first time…because of everything evil and dark that has happened to me, there are people like Kuro-chan, Syaoran, and the gang to help me to into the light of happiness. At that point, I was happy to be alive."

Yuui smiled a bit back. "Happiness; that must have felt nice." He then looked at his lap with a frown. "Those memories I saw of you…and _Fai_…..they were terrible up to a point. All of that misery, the loneliness, the cold feeling, that wanting…to just die and go away, it felt so familiar to what I have felt. I mean…why would anyone….let alone a whole country put all of that burden on two innocent children?"

Sighing, Fai could only shrug his shoulders. "That question doesn't have a clear answer. But superstition was part of it; twins being a sign of misfortune and those around them would suffer and whatnot. It's just how things are." He could see that Yuui was still trying to grasp the big picture. "It was not a happy moment in my childhood…in fact; I could barely remember a moment when I wasn't scared for me and my brother. Memories like that might never fade."

The cooking teacher took those words as he was deep in thought. "Your brother….before he was gone for good; what was he like?" He then tried to smile but blinked as a finger was placed on his lips.

"Faking a smile hurts others as well as yourself, Yuui. Take it from me." Fai then giggled. "My brother…the real Fai… he was about a few minutes older than me. But he was my anchor; my only friend." He leaned back a bit. "There weren't many children in Valeria but the few that were there were scared of us all the same. _Fai_ protected me, he helped me, and kept me away from the harsh reality that was our lives as much as he could…right up until the end when he….was taken from me."

Yuui sighed as he saw Fai's eyes having tears in them. He lifted a finger and wiped some of them away. "And let me guess…up until you encounter with that Ashura guy…you kept this inside…like I did." He didn't flinch as Fai took his hand.

"Yeah." Fai said with a low tone. "Because I had experienced nothing but sorrow and misery…even with that man I was never truly happy but I was content and at the time, I thought it was enough. Boy, was I wrong."

Grasping the mage's hand, Yuui sighed. "I…I guess we're the same…" He then shook a bit. "There's…there's something that I haven't told anyone…for years I kept it to myself; and it involves my family…and being twins…."

"Yuui…" Fai took Yuui's hand and placed them on the bed. "I got through my own problems with the help of others, however it took time for me to even speak of it and I don't want you to force yourself. I hate to see your old wounds reopen."

The cooking teacher shook his head. "But it's relevant…to what happened to you…to both of you." He then took a few deep breaths as he gritted his teeth. "You see….we were just a small family to begin with; hardly had any relatives. Most of them were dead at the time; from what I didn't know at the time. But we had one relative that we visited; it was our great-uncle; we called him _Ignace_."

"What does that mean?" Fai asked.

"_Unknowing._" Yuui said darkly. "Fai and I never knew what his real name was. Not even our older sister Chi knew. Only our mother and father knew but kept it in secret." He then chuckled a bit but the moment was far from amusing. "When we were kids, we would visit that man. My mother told us that we should keep that man company since he was the last one living in his own generation since his brothers and sisters died out long before."

"He was living in an oldfolks home at the time. When we see him, Fai and I would called him Uncle _Ignace_…because you never know who he really was or what he would do. He was…weird at best. Not to mention very unpredictable." Yuui added. "But when we were about eight or so, we began to see some sort of changes in that man. He started to become more violent and hostile. Not at our family but at the twins…us."

He gripped his other hand into a fist. "As soon as he saw us, he would go in a rage; screaming at us, yelling at us…saying something like we're the cause of his misery and we were the reason why his brothers and sisters died. We haven't even met them and he blamed us."

Fai nodded; letting the cooking teacher continue.

"The visits were getting too much for us that it wasn't until we were visiting and uncle broke out of his room with a knife running up towards us. He screamed and aimed for me." Yuui started sobbing. "My father and a few others had to get him back while mother, Fai and Chi came for me and held me tightly. I was so scared."

The mage rubbed Yuui's back. "You want to stop?"

Yuui shook his head. "No…I'm fine." He then continued. "So we stopped visiting him altogether as that man was sent to a mental asylum. For the next few years, I was clinging to mother but things started returning to normal for us. And then we were fifteen."

"…What happened when you were fifteen?" Fai softly asked.

The cooking teacher rubbed his eyes. "It was the beginning of spring I think." He said. "And Fai and I were just started high school. Chi was at a friend's house; talking about prom and graduation. We got a phone call just after dinner. My father answered it…and that's when it happened….."

* * *

"_Mother, I don't understand. What's going on?" Yuui asked as he and Fai were suddenly rushed from the dinner table to their bedroom._

_His mom wouldn't say anything as she ushered them into the room. She then closed the door behind her and sighed._

"_Maman, what's going on?" Fai asked with an innocent look. "Is there a car crash or something?" His smile was wiped off as he saw his mother's face pale._

"_Mom…." Yuui started but was cut off by his mother shushing at them. She then heard someone knocking on the door. She opened it just slightly. Their dad was on the other side whispering to her about something. The door then closed before she turned to them. _

_The mother went around her neck and took out a necklace. There was two dove links hooking in a thin silver lace. She then took each of the twins' hands and placed the object there. "Now my dears, since Chi's not home right now, I want you both to promise me that whatever happens, you two will take care of each other while we're gone, okay. Don't leave each others' sight."_

_The twins looked at each other and laughed._

"_Mother, you're acting really funny." Yuui smiled._

"_Yeah maman." Fai chuckled. "Is this some kind of prank? Is Papa in on this too~?"_

_Their mother frowned. "My dears…this is __**no joke**__." She then hugged the two as tightly as she could. "Your…your father and I have something to do…and you two can't join us." She then sighed. "Something happened at the asylum…and your great-uncle's involved."_

_Feeling dread up his spine, Yuui pushed back his mother gently. "W-What do you mean, mother? Did Ignace do something wrong?" He frowned. _

_Fai looked between Yuui and his mother with a shock expression. "Maman, please tell me you're not going there to see that crazy hag…are you….?"_

_A moment of silence spread the room. The twins didn't like it one bit._

"_Something as happened." Their mother finally spoke. "It would seem that your uncle has escaped the asylum." She held her hand up to stop any interruption. "But that's not the only problem. I don't know how to say this but…..Ignace…has been killing our relatives left and right for years."_

"_W-What?" Yuui said. "I can't…I don't understand."_

"_Maman, I don't get it either." Fai said. "What does he have against his own family? What did we ever do to him?" Fai was starting to raise his voice as anger was seeping into him, if it wasn't for Yuui gripping his arm, he would have exploded._

"_I wish I had answer for that." Their mother sighed. "But regardless he's has killed his relatives and some of your father's and my own, including the in-laws." She covered her mouth as she looked away. "I didn't want to say anything to you three because…it's not exactly what you want to bring up in any conversation." She weakly smiled._

"_So…..our relatives didn't die out from some disease or some sort of accident." Yuui concluded. "Ignace caused all of this." He glared at the floor. "I should have known."_

"_No one can foresee this, Yuui nor could we have prevented it." Their mother said. "But that's not important anymore. What's important would be protecting what's left of the family meaning you two and Chi." She crossed her arms. "I called her friend's place and told all of them including the parents to stay indoors for the time being. As for you two-"_

"_What about you and father?" Yuui asked. "Shouldn't you guys be here with us?"_

"_..We can't…because….Ignace is looking for you two." Their mother then frowned. "And I would be damned if that old man gets his wrinkled hands on you boys."_

"_So you're really going….." Fai said. "And leaving us behind…"_

"_Oh sweetie," Their mother started. "Your father and I only want the best for you children. Once you two are older and have kids of your own; you'd understand…..assuming you like girls later in life." She giggled._

_Fai couldn't help but laugh at her statement. Even Yuui cracked a smile._

"_Honey," Their father's voice muttered through the door. "We have to go."_

"_Okay, I'll meet you soon." She then looked at her boys sadly. "I'm out of time. Please…don't lose that jewelry; keep it close to your hearts and we'll be back before you know it."_

_Feeling sad and upset yet again, the twins hugged their mother as much as they could. Their mother hugged back. Soon they let go of each other. The twins watched as their mother opened the door. She cast one more glance at the twins before closing the door on them._

_The twins just stood there, listening to the footsteps before another door was closed._

_Then silence._

"…_It'll be okay."_

_Yuui stared at Fai who didn't tear his eyes from the door._

"_It'd be okay. Maman and papa will fix it. They can do it. I know it." Fai then smiled at Yuui as he took his brother's hand. "Everything will be okay."_

"…" _Down-casting his eyes, Yuui squeezed that hand back. He wasn't sure if he could believe that. He was human, therefore he had doubts. But at the same time, he had hope. Hope that his brother was right; that mother and father will come back and that man will pay for his sins. He let out a small but broken smile. He was torn but still….._

"_Yeah….maybe."_

* * *

Yuui didn't know how he got into the mage's arms; shaking. He did know that he was talking to him about what happened in his past. He gently touched his face and was slightly surprised to find tears staining his face. Nothing but pain coated with more pain. It was too much too fast. He looked up at Fai who looked like he wanted to cry along with him but held back. "I-I'm sorry….where was I again?"

"….You…you were right up to the point that your parents left the house to….get that man." Fai softly said.

"Oh right." Yuui straighten himself up a bit and moved away from the mage. He moved over to the nightstand and pulled a drawer out. He reached in and pulled out what looked like a folded newspaper. Glancing at it briefly, he closed the drawer and moved back. "Here." He lend out the newspaper.

Raising an eyebrow, Fai took the newspaper and unfolded it. He glanced at the front page with questioning eyes. The newspaper was in French and a bit worn out. However even in French, the headline was clear as day to Fai.

_**The Crimson bird Massacre.**_

Fai gaped at the title….then the huge picture underneath. "That's….that's….."

"Figured that you'd know, after all in some way he's more than just a man to you….am I right?" Yuui bitterly smiled.

* * *

Day slowly turned into night as the bugs came out and made their music. Watanuki and Syaoran were playing a game of chess to pass the time. While no one was really keeping score, Syaoran was in the lead.

Kurogane was sitting on the floor, scowling at nothing in particular but hissing a bit every now and again. He glanced back to see Sakura staring hard in concentration. He sighed. "Calm down, it's just a wound, not a puzzle. Just clean it up and redress it."

Sakura frowned. "It's not _just a wound_." She grimaced as the last of the dirty bandages fell. "It really looked like it hurt. I mean….it was like your arm and shoulder should have been ripped off from your body." She then gently touched the injured upper limb. "Look at those bite marks. Are you sure they were from an animal?"

"In a way." Kurogane vaguely said. "It didn't hurt though. Besides, it's not the first time that I got bitten by something." He felt Syaoran's eyes on him but ignored it. "When you're traveling as long as I have, you're bound to get nasty injuries….not every world's safe and perfect."

"I can imagine." Sakura muttered. "Okay, I'm going to put some rubbing alcohol to clean the blood and wipe out any infection in this wound."

"Go ahead." Kurogane then hissed loudly as the liquid touched his skin, feeling a slight burn. "Damn." He grumbled. It was almost as painful as that fight back in Koryo. Well…..to a certain extent anyway. He tried to look at something else to ignore the pain. He glanced at Mokona who was soundly asleep on the couch with that goofy smile on hers. Then his eyes trailed to the hallway…where the blonde twins went in and have yet to come out.

The ninja then felt his heart break a bit.

"Are you still worried?"

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Kurogane glanced at the girl who was now redressing his wound. "Huh?"

"It okay, you know." Sakura said. "It's okay to show some emotion, some concern for others."

"Wait just a damn second." Kurogane said as he moved a bit towards the girl. "So the hell said anything about me being concern of _those two_?" He jabbed his mechanical thumb in the direction of the hallway. "I told you, if those twins want to kill each other over the whole ordeal then _I don't care_. Why should I? It doesn't matter to me, not one damn bit."

The young teenager giggled. "I see. So is that why for the past few hours, you've been looking at that hallway?"

Kurogane stared at the girl with wide eyes. "You noticed."

"More or less." Sakura said. Then she clapped her hands. "There, all done!"

"Hn." Kurogane glanced at his dressed injury and nodded in approval. "…You certainly know a thing or two about patching up injuries."

"When you have an older siblings and friends that are into sports, you get used to seeing a lot of injuries." She then cleared her throat. "Though not as bad as yours." She then crossed her legs and sighed. "So tell me, what's it like traveling from world to world? I like to hear it."

"…Why don't you ask the kid?" Kurogane said with a raised eyebrow. "I bet he would want to tell you."

Sakura glanced at 'Tsubasa' who was once again won another game of chess. She smiled softly before looking back at the ninja. "I have no doubt that he would but….I much rather hear it from your point of view. Besides, you look like you need a distraction."

Blinking, Kurogane's lips twitched upwards just for a second. Then he proceeded to tsk at the girl. "You're too kind for your own good." He then got into a comfortable position. "Fine, if you want to hear my view of the story so badly then listen up, because I'm not repeating this."

"I'm all ears."

* * *

The shopkeeper was pacing back and forth around the main room. He was deep in thought about something. Something related to the whole situation regarding the travelers, the _chosen _ones, about _everything_! Something wasn't adding up and it unnerved the shopkeeper to no end.

"Watanuki!" The black Mokona hopped into the room. "What are you thinking about?"

The shopkeeper quietly shushed the creature as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Still nothing. "I'm….I'm trying to figure out something….like a key point or a missing piece of a puzzle. I'm really starting to wonder if it's hitsuzen really at work here. Or maybe someone made a wish and just now being granted."

"Is it about Yuui?" The black Mokona asked.

"Maybe…." The shopkeeper muttered. "But it might not be the case…." He then took a seat on the luxurious couch with narrowed eyes. "Every world has its own version of beings, different environment, different lives but has the same root source; their souls….." He then covered his golden eye. "But some versions have lived either similar lives or destined to die the same like some of their versions….it's not a rule but it does happen more then I can say….so why is this Yuui different?"

The black Mokona glanced at the shopkeeper with a worried expression.

The shopkeeper closed his eyes and pressed on, deeper in thought. Then it clicked. As fast as it happened, the shopkeeper opened his eyes and stood up. He then smiled. "Of course! Why didn't I think of it before?"

"Watanuki, what are you-" The black Mokona yelped and moved out of the way as he saw his friend running out of the room and down the hall.

With a rush of adrenaline, the shopkeeper reached the warehouse section of the shop. His chest heaving as he was catching his breath. He then stepped into the place. Looking around, the shopkeeper walked a bit quicker than usual. "Now where is it?" He muttered to himself. "I'm sure that it's here somewhere. I saw it once when Yuuko was around. She never told me who sent it to her or why."

Walking further into the warehouse, the shopkeeper kept looking. "Come on, come on. It has to be there somewhere! It couldn't just disappear." He was about to give up on his search when something shiny caught his eye.

It was small.

It was bright.

And it was white.

Smirking victoriously, the shopkeeper went to one of the upper shelves. He took the objects in question in his hands. He looked at them with sad but relived eyes. "Well….I think this may be the missing piece of the puzzle after all."

* * *

_Yuui…._

_Yuui…._

_Yuui…._

_Can you hear me?_

_You can hear me….can you?_

_You can always hear me…in your dreams…._

_I'm there….inside of you…_

_Waiting…._

_Listening….._

_Hoping…._

_And now….he's here._

_My dear brother's here._

_Oh my brother…._

_How much he has grown…._

_He's good and well I see…._

_And oh so alive….. _

_Yes…._

_He's alive…. _

_I'm so glad….._

_I'm glad that he's doing alright._

_I was worried you know…._

_That he would….just fade away….ever since I was taken from him…._

_I wanted him to see…..that it wasn't his fault….._

_It was __**never **__his fault….._

_Not even a bit….._

_But now….._

_Seeing his face…._

_With that smile of his….._

_Knowing that he'll be alright…._

_Has made me the happiest person in the world…._

_Even though, I'm beyond any world now…._

_I'm not sure how long I'm going to last…._

_But still….._

_It's worth it…._

_To know that my brother's happy and living life without that man torturing him…._

_And having someone to loves him and him loving them back…._

_It's amazing….._

_Oh what I life he has…..and a life I'll never have….._

_But it's okay…._

_I have no regrets…._

_I'm ready to move on….whenever that time comes…._

_So thank you…._

_Thank you Yuui….for letting me see him just one last time…._

_And I hope….._

_You find your happy ending as well….._

* * *

Two orbs of magic swirled around one another in the dark, bleak night. Making one move after another as if they were dancing. Then the orbs turned into phoenixes as they started to soar into the night sky.

Higher and higher they went, going around each other as they went. Then they merged into one huge phoenix. It let out a thunderous cry…before it disappeared with the moon as its only witness.

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

Bonus points to those who know whoever was talking in Yuui's dreams. XD

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
**


	19. Slowly Recovering

I know, two months? Yeah, I was sort of busying writing a oneshot for Halloween called **_A scare to last a lifetime_.** Have a read. ^_^

Also, I got my inspiration back so hopefully it won't take _two months_ for another update..._hopefully_.

Enjoy. ^_^

* * *

**Slowly recovering**

* * *

Putting an ice pack on his wounded shoulder, Kurogane lazily glanced at the radio on the kitchen counter which also had a clock. It was about six in the morning. It was quiet in the house, maybe too quiet for his liking. But then again, it was better than the chaos he was more or less used to.

Taking the ice pack off, he was glad to know that there was just a bit of blood seeping through the wrapping. That meant that he wouldn't have to redress it. Which also meant that he can spare himself the time from going down the hallway.

And seeing the bedroom door.

The ninja didn't get enough sleep the night before. His mind was still on Fai and Yuui. While he respected the 'twins' and their privacy, he couldn't help but be very curious and very concerned about them. Those two went in the room and never came out. Granted, they had _much_ to talk about but still the question remained.

What would happen now?

"The hell if I know…." Kurogane muttered to himself. He doesn't have any type of magic or any power besides the techniques of the sword passed down from his family. He also doesn't have any charm or trinket that can help him see into the future. He wasn't princess Tomoyo or Fai the mage for that matter. He was…just a ninja, a warrior who can only hope for the best he can't beat the problems away.

That's all he can do, really.

As he was putting the ice pack back into the freezer, the ninja vaguely heard a door open and close. He blinked. It must have been the bedroom door. That must mean that those twins didn't get enough sleep either. Figures. "Well….I should train in the backyard again. Practice with my sword and stuff…."

"You will do _no such thing_."

Kurogane looked over his shoulder to see Fai standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He saw that the mage was exhausted and a bit irritated. He can also see that Fai hasn't changed since yesterday with the exception of the missing jacket and boots. The ninja smirked. "I never thought I will see the day that you'd be waking up in the wrong side of the bed."

"Don't start, Kurogane. I'm not in the mood." Fai said with a deadpan expression. "I had a rough night, okay?"

"Same here." Kurogane huffed. "Don't think you're the only one who stressed out over the whole thing. You and Yuui never came out all day yesterday." He then sighed. "Not to mention everyone was on high alert since last night; worrying on what the hell was going on in there. Even that pork-bun didn't have the energy to bounce around like it usually does."

Fai blinked as let the ninja's words sink in. "They…they were worried?"

"Duh." Kurogane frowned.

"Even you?" Fai asked with a tiny smile.

"…." Feeling the heat slowly creeping into his face, Kurogane growled and turned away from the mage. He then felt cool hands touching his back as a giggle reached his ears.

"Kuro-puu….you didn't answer me." Fai said with a teasing smile. "Were you worried as well~?" He placed his head ever so gently on the man's wounded shoulder and kissed it. "I'll take it as a yes if Kuro insists on keeping quiet." The mage then smiled as he heard a relented sigh.

"….How is he?"

"Hmm?" Fai lifted his head up.

Kurogane glanced over his shoulder and look at the mage. "Yuui. How's he holding up?" He blinked as he felt pale, slim arms wrapping themselves around his torso.

"I….I don't know." Fai mumbled. "I mean, it just happened so fast." He tightened his hold on the man. "Yuui….he looked so sad and…upset. As it turned out…his past….it was…it made scars, Kuro…deep scars…and I didn't know what to do."

"I can understand that." Kurogane said as he touched Fai's hands. "As bad as your past was, to hear that another version of your brother having it almost as bad can make things worse. You thought that maybe…just maybe, this world would be the one where the twins' lives were perfect or very close to it. And I bet that knowing now; it pisses you off to no end."

"It does upset me." Fai softly said. "But for him to hold on for so long, being as strong as he could, I couldn't help but feel some admiration for him. I just….I just wish I could have prevented all the bad stuff from happening, you know?"

"You couldn't have." Kurogane sighed. "Because even if you have known, changing the past of anyone, even Yuui's is a very great taboo, or have you forgotten how the kid got himself into clusterfuck of a situation in the first place?"

"…No…I haven't forgotten." Fai said.

"Besides, everything happens for a reason, not all of them good but reasons anyway." Kurogane shrugged before wincing from moving his wounded shoulder too suddenly. "We can't change what has happened but what we can do is help them as much as possible. They may not want it but it's what they need. Like you."

Fai, hearing all of that, released his hold on the ninja and stepped back.

Which in turn, Kurogane turned around and faced the mage.

"…Kurgs….you…." Fai stared into the bright crimson eyes and found himself smiling. "That's the most beautiful thing you have ever said…and also the longest." He lightly joked. "Do you really mean that?"

"Why would I say something that I didn't mean?" Kurogane scoffed. "Of course I meant it; every single word of it. I just want to get it through you thick skull that you can't be stuck in the past. You have to face the present and just…." He looked away. "And just be happy that you're alive and crap."

Fai tilted his head to see some sadness in Kurogane's eyes. "Oh Kuro-sama," He chuckled. "I was a bit of a handful for you, wasn't I? Everything that we've been through as travelers and as lovers. You were right by my side even when I pushed you away. You never gave up, not on me, or anyone else. But still…."

"I don't care." Kurogane stated. "It doesn't matter what happened with Tokyo, Infinity and Seresu. We were going through a rough time. I mean, fuck mage you were _dying_. With your eye getting ripped out by that…_clone_ and you slowly _bleeding_ to death." He placed a hand over his head. "I didn't have much of a choice. It was either turn you into a vampire or you dying as a one eyed mage and I was sure as hell I wasn't going to let you die…not after all the stuff…we've been through."

Fai felt tears stinging his eyes. "Kuro…"

"But what happened, happened." Kurogane softly said. "I don't regret the choices I made or the things I had to go through because of those choices. It's done and over with. Now here you are, whole and…happy….and that's good enough for me."

"Oh Kuro…." Fai said as tears ran down his face. "You…you…." He gasped as he felt a warm hand touching the side of his face. He looked up to see the ninja slightly smiling down at him.

"I don't say this enough…and I know you know but….I love you Fai…." Kurogane softly said. "It doesn't matter what you are or what past you got. I fell for _you_ and only you. Why did I fell for a blonde giddy moron is beyond me but…." He sighed. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Hmm?"

Fai leaned on the man's hand with tears down his face and a smile on his lips. "Oh Kurogane…you didn't have to say it…but thank you." He leaned up. "I wouldn't have it any other way either. That's just how much I really do love you. You big caring dog, you."

The ninja rolled his eyes as he leaned down and captured the mage's lips with his own, feeling arms wrapping around his neck. In turn, he wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist and brought him closer. They pulled each other closer and closer as the kisses started to deepen.

After a few seconds, the two pulled apart, deeply breathing as they looked into each others' eyes. They sighed happily.

"My word…..how long since we just…kissed?" Fai said with a smile.

"Too long." Kurogane grunted as he still held Fai close to him. "What with jumping from world to world, the kid being who he is and who that porkbun is….we never got to just…kiss." He slightly blushed.

Fai chuckled. "Then I guess we have to fix that, won't we?"

"Eeep!"

The mage blinked. "Was that…you just now?"

"What? That wasn't me." Kurogane blinked back. "I don't _squeak,_ mage. The only one who squeaks like that is…."

Then it clicked.

"Holy crap." Kurogane muttered.

Fai chuckled. "Mokona, you can come out of the doorway now." He then turned his head with a big smile. "Also, Syaoran, Watanuki and dear Sakura….it's okay. Wouldn't be the first time we got others peeking in."

"Though I was itching for a fight." Kurogane grumbled.

"Now now, Kuro-puu; be nice." Fai patted the man's flesh shoulder lightly.

Carrying Mokona, Syaoran was the first to walk into view along with Watanuki (who was avoiding eye-contact) and Sakura (who was blushing and covering her mouth). The teen trio and the two adults then stared at each other in the mist of silence.

"Um….are you feeling better then…Fai?" Sakura shyly asked.

"Ah, so you've listening to our conversation." Fai said. It was more of a statement then a question.

"Well, the kitchen echoes and we didn't get sleep either." Watanuki mumbled. "And we heard…noises…." He didn't think he'd see the day that he would see the Fai and Kurogane being all…intimate with each other. Well, look-alikes but according to Yuui, it hardly made a difference.

"Don't worry, Watanuki." Syaoran said as he patted the poor blue-eyed teen's shoulder with one hand. "That's just the tip of the iceberg compared to what I had to go through while traveling with them."

"Oh please kid, it wasn't _that_ bad." Kurogane scoffed.

…

Syaoran sighed. "May I remind you the sleepless nights I had to endure because of you two 'getting it on' in layman terms?" He then crossed his arms. "Or do you want Mokona to repeat it, word per word."

Kurogane blushed. "Well, I—"

"Oh god." Watanuki groaned. "I really don't want to hear it." He covered his ears. "It's bad enough we have teacher-counterparts who are like that, I have to know _they_ do it too! Geez!" He closed his eyes. "I blame Yuuko-sensei and her _rules_."

Sakura giggled. "I think she handles the school very well despite the quirks that go on every day."

Syaoran grinned a bit as Watanuki's groans got louder.

Fai smiled as he let go of Kurogane. "Now that the worse has passed (_Kurogane snorted_), how about I cook up something to fill in those empty stomachs, huh?" He then went to the fridge. "How about I make a huge brunch for everyone? That way, we all can have one of everything."

"Mage, do you not see what time it is?" Kurogane rolled his eyes. "It's barely sunrise in this town. Brunch's close to damn lunch you moron." He then stared as he felt eyes now on him. "What?"

"Wow, Kuro." Fai said, slightly amazed. "That was an intelligent thing to say."

"I _did not_ see that coming." Syaoran said out-loud. He then turned away as he can feel a heated gaze coming from his companion.

"I'm smart!" Kurogane argued. "What? You all think I'm just all brawns or something?"

"Well…."

"Uh…"

"Kuro-sama's kinda…"

"Kurogane's a bit…"

"Haha!"

The ninja felt slightly underappreciated as his hand ran down his face.

"Come on, Kurgs. It's not that bad." Fai said as he gave the ninja a chaste kiss on the cheek. "People never cease to amaze others. It's a fact." He shrugged. "But enough of that, who's hungry?"

"Me!" Mokona cheered.

"I'll help you with the cooking." Sakura piped up.

"I'll assist you too." Watanuki added.

"If they are helping then so am I." Syaoran said with a smile.

"Aw~!" Fai cooed. "You all are so kind~! Makes me want to have kids of my own. Right, Kuro-sama?"

Kurogane grimaced with a blush. "Just get cooking, you crazy wizard." Though as he turned away, there was a tiny smile on his face.

* * *

Yuui mumbled as he started hearing noises from outside his bedroom. He sank deeper into his covers in slight aggravation. However, as the noises were starting to get louder, he found that sleeping in was no longer an option. Opening his blurry blue eyes, Yuui slowly sat up from his bed and rubbed his face. He briefly glanced at his window before yawning. "God, is it morning already?"

He then nearly jumped as he heard a yell that didn't come from his throat.

"_Oh my god, Watanuki. Are you okay?"_

"_Yeah….yeah. I'm fine."_

"_Sorry, I thought the iron was cold when I gave it to you."_

"_No, it's fine. Don't worry, Fai. I had my own injuries when I started cooking for myself. Really, I'm okay."_

"_Okay…if you say so."_

It took a few moments for Yuui's brain to process what just happened. Then he sighed. "Oh yeah; the gang's still here…and that meant…" He frowned. "What happened last night wasn't a dream. It really happened." He covered his eyes as he felt the pain of his body; mind and soul come back to him.

'_Oh god, not now.'_

The cooking stood from his bed and stretched. He then looked around to see that his room was a mess. And upon the mess was a folded newspaper. Blinking slowly, Yuui picked it up and looked over it. He sadly sighed.

"Oh man…I knew that my uncle was crazy but I never thought you of all people would be sucked in too. I mean, you liked me at some point. That's why you did what you did and paid a hefty price for it. I have no idea how you found out. I just wished I was there to stop you." He tossed the paper on top of the bed.

'_But I couldn't. And even in death, you were smiling. You never have any regrets. Not even once.'_

"Even though I never returned those feelings, I'm grateful for all that you have done." Yuui sadly smiled. "Thank you, _Father Ashura_." He chuckled bitterly as he opened the door.

_Nothing lasts forever, right?_

* * *

"This can't be."

The black Mokona mumbled in half-sleepiness. "What's going on, Watanuki?"

The shopkeeper had a few papers; creased with lines scattered upon the floor. He had been reading them, hours into the day and into the night. He read them once, twice, three times to make sure he didn't miss anything. He knew that wishes were made into the shop and affects anybody around the wish-asker.

But never did he think that there would such a wish that would involve people from _other worlds_. The mere possibility was slim at best. Well, pieces of a big wish actually. One that wasn't completely granted when Yuuko was around.

"It just doesn't make sense." Watanuki grumbled. "Yuuko always granted wishes in full once the price has been paid. But what I'm reading…and I'm seeing…." He shook his head. "I knew Yuui was different in a certain way but geez…."

The black Mokona yawned. "What do you mean?"

"As soon I met Yuui through the travelers, I had sensed that something was different with him. At first I thought it was just my mind playing tricks on me but now, I'm sure. This world is unlike any world I have seen. It may look normal but it's pretty unusual."

"How so?"

The shopkeeper frowned. "Yuui has had these dreams about seeing a version of him in weird clothes. Only it's not him." He crossed his arms. "It was Fai's dead brother; the real Fai. He's been with Yuui since day one…"

"From the incident…?"

"From his _birth_…" Watanuki grumbled. "The real Fai's soul hasn't disappeared completely since he died. He _traveled_ from world to world, finding a body to take so he can wait for the precise moment. But I guess he didn't saw it coming when he came to Yuui's world. It's like _'The Eye two_' movie…only…the body has two souls instead of just one."

"But that would mean…"

"I know where you are going with this Mokona but you're only right to an extent." The shopkeeper sighed. "Yuui in that world was supposed to be born…however he wasn't supposed to live over a certain point. I think that was the man's plan if all else fails."

"But we knew what the plan was." Mokona argued.

"True, but let's not forget, the man had minions." Watanuki had a dark look on his face. "Who would say that those creatures _didn't_ have a back-up plan if their master failed?" He then sadly smiled. "The good news was they died before they revealed themselves and that certain people wished with all their might to change the future…no matter how hard that is."

There was a bout of silence within the room as Mokona looked down at the carpet.

"Nonetheless," Watanuki stood up. "I would like to discuss the matter with everyone present. They are not going to like what I'm going to say but with anything they have experienced, knowledge can set them free." He cracked his knuckles and stretched. "Mokona, bring the wardrobe mirror over here. We are going to reveal the hidden mystery."

* * *

Yuui glanced over at his shoulder and saw that everyone in the kitchen was having a good time. Watanuki and Sakura were laughing; chatting about stuff while making scrambled eggs. Fai was showing Syaoran how to flip pancakes without burning them with the mage making a mess of the boy's face with a smile. Even Kurogane was in a good mood as he was crushing some berries as Mokona was munching on a strawberry.

The cooking teacher felt his heart both swell with joy and sadness. He was glad that everyone was making the best of the worse but he, himself was still feeling the pain and scars from the past. Yesterday paled compared to what he had to go through alone. Yeah, his family was with him but his heart was saying otherwise.

With another sigh, Yuui decided to go back to the room and think. That's all he can do at this point.

He slowly turned around, and started walking down the hallway.

Only to feel a hand on his shoulder.

Yuui turned his head around and saw Kurogane looking back at him with calm red eyes.

"…Hey." The warrior mumbled.

"Hey." Yuui whispered.

"You okay?"

"….." Yuui didn't know what to say. He felt himself shaking a bit. He wanted to say that he was fine but according to his heart and soul, he felt the complete opposite. "I…don't know…."

Kurogane nodded. "I see." He then dropped the hand. "The mage wasn't feeling too good either when I saw him. He's really worried about you. But he wouldn't say what it was."

"I just-"

"Look, don't get me wrong." Kurogane interrupted. "I'm just as curious as the next guy about someone's past. But I'm not so heartless that I'd force you to spill your guts. I honestly don't care. What happened to you before is none of my business. But if it's hurting you so much, feel free to knock me out and force _me_ to listen okay? I'm all ears; we all are."

Yuui at that point _really _didn't know what to say. What Kurogane said was sweet and in all honesty…weird. But those words made him a bit better. Maybe there was hope for him, if he needed someone, he would have someone; no matter what. "Are…are you always this awkward when it comes to moments like this?"

Kurogane blinked as he saw a small smile on Yuui's face. He then figured it out. He grinned toothily. "Every damn time, you blonde wuss."

The cooking teacher let out a laugh that released tears from his eyes. He didn't even know he was holding back. "I may be a wuss but at least I can eat a piece of cake without feeling like dying."

"Shut up." Kurogane playfully said. "Sweet stuff kills my teeth and I rather swallow tar then eat that crap."

"So you say." Yuui chuckled. "I'll…just go back to my room now."

"Oh no you don't." Kurogane grabbed Yuui by the shoulders and turned him around; making him stand in front of him. "It's morning and you need some food in your damn stomach. It won't do you any good if you're starving before lunch even starts. Come on."

"But wait-" Yuui then yelped as he felt Kurogane pushing him out of the hallway and into the main part of the house. There, from the kitchen, everyone stopped and turned to see the two standing there at the doorway. Yuui hated being at the spotlight. "Uh….hi?"

For a few moments, no one would say a word.

Then Fai walked forward and then with a lift of his finger he tapped Yuui's nose lightly…the one that was coated in pancake batter.

Yuui blinked at his now gloop-covered nose before glancing back at Fai.

The mage smiled. "It's not fun cooking with friends without you around. What do you say?"

With everyone's breath on hold, they waited to see what Yuui would say.

Looking at his nose, Yuui lifted a finger and wiped the gloop off his nose. He then licked his finger. He smacked his lips together to savor the taste. He then nodded. "I'd say…" He smiled brightly. "That this needs more sugar."

…

The kitchen was filled with laughter at Yuui's statement. Even Kurogane coughed as he tried to hold his own laughter in. The tension seemed to have dissipated as Yuui rolled up his sleeves and started helping out.

As Yuui and Fai started play around with the batter, the cooking teacher felt his heart grow a bit in happiness. After what happened last night, he needed something to lift him from the deep sea that was his past. At least for now, but he wondered if he really have the strength to overcome it completely. Time will tell; but for now he'll enjoy the moment.

As his brother had said; enjoy the little things in life.

* * *

"_Shopkeeper…what are you doing here?"_

"_You know exactly what I'm doing here, former prince of Valeria."_

"…_so then you know."_

"_You'd think I wouldn't?"_

"_I don't doubt your ability but…."_

"_You really think that this charade will go on without me knowing, don't you?"_

"…_.."_

"_You do realize what risk you're taking by staying in him, right? Yuui is Yuui. You can't be more than a soul floating around you know."_

"…_.I just….wanted to see my own brother again. I've waited all this time just to see him."_

"_I know that. But believe me when I say this: you're fading Fai. You've been fading as soon as Yuui has grown up. If you wait any longer, you'll disappear completely. Your magic is almost non-existent at this point. But then again, you gave that up…didn't you?" _

"_...I gave some of my magic to my brother."_

"_As some sort of consolation, am I right?"_

"_Yes."_

"_So what's stopping you from leaving?"_

"…_."_

"_Well…?"_

"_I just…I just don't want to be lonely anymore."_

"_Who doesn't these days?" _Then a sigh._ "But you can't do this any longer. Sooner or later you have to make a choice. Please, for your brother's sake and Yuui's, you have to choose what you're going to do."_

"…_.I understand."_

"_Well then?"_

There was a pause. Then a sad smile came upon the pale face. _"I wish to be reborn…Shopkeeper. Reborn so I can be with my brother again, to live a life with him and hopefully be with him when he needs me and when I need him."_

"_I see. And you do realize that a price has to be paid."_

"_Yes."_

"_Very well then. May your wish be granted. And the next time I see you, it'll be a pleasant encounter."_

"_Thank you."_

The shopkeeper watched as the person in front of him slowly started to fade until there was nothing left but a black void in front of him. Sinking down to his knees in exhaustion, the shopkeeper sighed. _"The things I do for people." _ He opened his hand and smiled at the object. _"But then again, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't like helping those in need one bit."_

* * *

Fai and Yuui stopped at what they were doing at they suddenly looked at each other. They felt something flow past them…like something disappeared from them. But they didn't see anything around them, but their hearts ached a bit.

Like someone was taken from them once again.

But the question was…who?

* * *

**END**

* * *

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
**


	20. Mystery revealed

Yay~! Just before Thanksgiving too~! I'm so proud of myself right now. ^_^

Fair warning, if you find some parts confusing, that's not your fault. The explanation sounded better in my head then in the computer. LOL But yeah, almost everything is out in the open.

And please give me some feedback, I mean I love when people favor or alert this story right here, and freaking believe me, I danced like some weirdo when it happens but I want to know _what_ you like about it and _what_ you don't like about it. I don't care it it's just a sentence, just something would be nice. ^_^

So with that in mind, enjoy this long chapter.

* * *

**Mystery revealed **

* * *

"_Sakura! Sakura are you in there?"_

The whole group turned their heads to the pounding of the front door along with a familiar voice.

"Oh no." Yuui groaned. "I knew he would turn up sooner or later."

"Touya?" Syaoran whispered. "He's here? How did he know your address?"

"Um….I may be responsible for that one." Sakura shyly said. "I guess he went through my planner and found the address since I talked about Yuui-sensei and his cakes to him when he's actually listening."

Watanuki then paled. "He…he doesn't know about the situation, does he?"

"No! I swear I didn't say anything!" Sakura said with a frown.

"It's okay." Fai said with a smile. "It's not like we were trying to keep this whole thing a secret. We'd get found out by someone sooner or later. Thankfully Yuui found us first." He then winced as the pounding grew louder. "I think Kuro-puu, Sy-I mean Tsubasa, Mokona and I should hide just in case."

"You're right." Yuui nodded as he stood up. "I bet Touya knows at least where the Li twins are and knows when they will be back. And I don't think he'll take another Syaoran-look alike." He nervously grinned.

Syaoran nodded with a roll of his eyes. "You do have a point."

"_Sakura! Sakura!"_

"Come on, let's get the hell out of the room so that brat can calm down." Kurogane said as Fai led him into the hallway. "Let us know when he's gone."

"Will do." Yuui nodded.

"Wait! Tsubasa!" Sakura cried out as she took 'Tsubasa's' hand. "I may not see you again after this. So…." She blushed a bit. "I told you before that there was someone else in mind but I think all the things you've been through, you at least deserve this."

"Deserve what?" Syaoran asked. Then a pair of warm lips touched his cheek. He felt his face heat up at the contact. He then stared at the girl who pulled back and smiled at him. "I…I…what?"

Sakura giggled. "Just wanted to give you something. I love Syaoran but I will never forget you. You won't forget me will you?"

"Never." Syaoran said with a smile. "I love my princess but I wouldn't forget you too. We don't forget the ones that we care about, right?"

The girl nodded. "Right." The two shared a blush as they looked into each other's eyes.

Watanuki had his face in his hand as the tips of his ears were a bit pink. "This is too sappy for my taste."

Yuui held back his laughter as he patted Watanuki on the shoulder. "Don't worry; you'll get your moment with a certain someone." He then let out a loud chuckle as he heard Watanuki groaned very audibly.

* * *

After the travelers hid themselves, Yuui straighten up and unlocked the door. He put on a smile and opened it up. "Hello?" He then chuckled nervously as he was met with a very irritating young man on the other side. "Ah, Touya, What brings you here?"

"Sakura." Touya said with a grit of his teeth. "The brat didn't call me last night to let me know where she was. Then Yukito told me that she was at your place. Not sure why he kept that from me for that long."

'_Ah, so that's why. Good work, Yukito. Probably had an idea or two about why Sakura left when she did.' _Yuui then nodded. "So are you going to pick her up now?"

"Yeah." Touya sighed. "Spring break will be over soon and I rather not have her jumping from house to house before school starts…no offense Yuui-san." Touya added as a sort of apology.

"Don't worry about. I think the blame should be mine though." Yuui smiled. "I was the adult and I should have called you to let you know about Sakura's whereabouts. That and being one of her teachers. I hope you weren't too worried."

"Nah." Touya shook his head. "Just a bit anxious. Ever since we got back, she's been acting strange."

"Strange? How so?" Yuui feigned confusion.

"I don't know. Just….strange." Touya narrowed his eyes. "The only time I've seen her like this was with that Syaoran kid."

"Ah." Yuui grinned. "Well maybe she got a call from him. She did tell me that Syaoran and Sakura talked over the phone before coming here. She must be really excited that she wanted to tell me all about it. I guess in her excitement she kinda forgot to check with you first about coming here." If there's one thing that he got from his brother, it was the ability to lie through his teeth. He may not be good as his brother, granted, but if he wasn't very nervous, he'd pull it off.

Touya seem to have bought the lie as he nodded. "Maybe. Anyway, I'm here to take the trouble-maker back home. Sorry for the trouble she may have caused."

"Like I said, it's no trouble." Yuui said as he waved his hands. "I'm happy to have her and I'm sure the next time this happen, I'll have her call you first."

"Okay." Touya then leaned his head over. "Oi Sakura! It's time to go!"

"Okay!" Sakura came into view as Yuui stepped to the side. She then frowned slightly. "Am I in trouble now?"

The young man smiled slightly as he ruffled the girl's hair. "Not this next time. But do it again and you'll find yourself locked up in a tower."

Sakura found herself smiling at the joke. "I understand." She then turned to Yuui as her smile turned slightly sad. "I guess I'll meet you at school then."

"Right." Yuui nodded as a soft smile came upon his face. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. When you see me again, hopefully everything will be resolved. Just worry about yourself for now. Okay?"

The girl nodded. "Yes." She then turned to her brother. "Let's go. Good-bye Yuui-sensei, Bye Watanuki!"

"See ya, Sakura!" Watanuki shouted from inside the house.

"Oh that boy's here too?" Touya asked. He then shrugged. "Whatever. See you later, Yuui-san."

"Same here." Yuui smiled. "Bye."

* * *

As the two figures were out of his sight, Yuui closed the door and leaned his back on the frame. He felt very exhausted all of a sudden. "This break is just one huge mission. I need a longer break." He sank to the floor as his legs gave up.

"Are they gone?"

Yuui looked up to see Syaoran's head poking out from the hallway. He weakly smiled. "Yeah, Touya and Sakura both." He closed his eyes as he heard movements coming from the hallway and into the living room including Mokona's happy chatter. He then heard a pair of footsteps growing louder. Then they stopped.

The cooking teacher opened his eyes to see Fai knelling right in front of him. He had a calm look on his face along with a small smile. He sighed as a hand was on his head. He chuckled. "This is just not working for me. How long before I go mad?"

"I think we gone past that point already." Fai softly said. "You're strong though. Anyone would have cracked already with all that you've been through. But here you are, sitting in your house, tired, and irritated but in one piece. And that has to count for something, right?" He smiled.

Leaning on the mage's hand, Yuui couldn't help but smile back. "I guess that's true. But the pain still lingers a bit."

"…." Fai couldn't say anything about it as what Yuui said struck true to him. _Painfully _true. So he placed each hand on the sides of Yuui's face and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead. "So it does."

"Oi mage, Yuui. Get in here." Kurogane's voice rang out. "There's something that the shopkeeper wants to talk to us about."

The blondes' heads lifted up in surprise.

"Hmm…I wonder what the shopkeeper wants to talk to us about this time." Yuui asked.

"Knowing him; it could go two ways." Fai frowned.

* * *

"I still can't get used to seeing my own face that's in another world." Watanuki mused.

The shopkeeper chuckled. "Well you wouldn't be the first one. Not everyone gets the privilege to go to other worlds let alone actually see their other selves. Believe me, once you know that, the world within gets bigger quickly."

"The world within?"

"Okay, we're here! What's up shopkeeper?" Fai hollered out as he and Yuui walked into the living room.

"Ah, glad you both decided to join us." The shopkeeper smiled as he turned his attention to the blondes. Though in the corner of his eye, he can see that Watanuki was slightly fuming from being ignored that quickly. "Have a sit. What I'm about to discuss will take some time."

As everyone was seated on the couch, the shopkeeper sat on a pillow. "Alright then, let's get started." He then placed his hands on his lap. "Yuui…I assume Fai already knows…about….you know…" His expression was firm but knowing.

Yuui blinked in confusion. Then it sank in. He hung his head low. "Yeah….he does."

"Good, then this will be a bit easier." The shopkeeper nodded. "I'm sure the rest of you don't know but have more or less the idea of what I'm talking about but bear with me for a bit as it is relative to everything that has happened since your travelers have arrived here." The shopkeeper lowered his head as he picked up an object. However it was mostly covered by his hand.

"Tell me Yuui, after the _incident_, what happened next?" The shopkeeper suddenly asked.

"Well," Yuui started; slightly shocked. "After…_that_…brother, Chi and I along with a few close friends started arranging the funeral. As mother and father were in their casket, I…sort of…did something…"

"Something?" Syaoran asked.

"I….I put a certain trinket on my mother's corpse. It was held in her cold hands. Brother didn't know about it." Yuui glanced at Fai apologetically. "It was a necklace that she had for years ever since the family found out she was going to have twins, it had two white doves on them linked together on a silver lace." He gulped. "The moment before she….the necklace was given to us I guess as some sort of a gift. And well…I took that necklace and have it buried with our mother."

"And Fai-sensei didn't know?" Watanuki asked with a worried expression.

Yuui shook his head. "He asked once about the whereabouts of the necklace but I lied and said that I had no idea; that everything has happening so fast that I had no time to search for it. He bought it." He chuckled bitterly. "After that, the topic never came up. But sometimes I wish it did so I can just _tell him_. But I can't, I won't…"

Syaoran and Watanuki shared looks of concern for the cooking teacher.

"So you lied to your brother about the necklace and as we speak it's about six feet deep with you mother." Kurogane grunted. "Fine. I got that. But what I don't get is how that bit of info is any use to other world people; mainly us. I mean the necklace was special and all but it's just a necklace….right?"

Fai glanced at the shopkeeper to Yuui to Kurogane and back at the shopkeeper. "Sir, _does_ the necklace have any relevance to our situation?**" **He can feel the tension in the room, mostly around Yuui. "Shopkeeper please, you said you have something to discuss. I think we all deserve to know." He was about to say _he_ deserve to know but whatever the shopkeeper was going will affect everyone; not just Yuui.

The mage wished that it didn't affect Yuui at all but life and fate was not that kind. He knew that on a personal level.

"You're right, Fai." The shopkeeper said solemnly. "And the necklace that you speak of…." He opened his palm. "Is right here." Out came the necklace, the two doves and all.

"What the hell?" Both Yuui and Watanuki shouted out. The blue-eyed teen's was full of shock and awe. However, Yuui was surprised and a bit angry.

'_That necklace was supposed to be with mother in her grave. I put it there myself! This is…bullshit! That's what it is! Oh if I find out that there was grave-digging involved I'll—'_

"Judging by your face Yuui, you think the necklace was stolen from your mother's grave, yes?" The shopkeeper said. "I can assure you that it wasn't the case…not really." Apparently those words did nothing as the shopkeeper can still see the anger in the cooking teacher's eyes.

"Not really?" Yuui said, feeling confused and frustrated. "It's right there you know! Either that's a copy (which I really doubt) or someone has some explaining to do!" He then felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. He looked over to see Fai sadly smiling at him.

"I know that this is not something you'd like to see," Fai sighed. "But I have known this man before he became the shopkeeper and he's not the type of person to harm others in any way. He has a kind heart and good soul. Please, don't think that he'd do this just to spite you." He then patted the shoulder. "It's just that a certain someone rubbed off on him a bit. And he's trying, okay?"

Shoving some of the buried anger he had in him, Yuui narrowed his eyes. "You're right. I have just known of him and nothing he has said and done was based on ill intentions." He then crossed his arms. "Besides, he has the same face as my dear student. Hating on him would be hating on Watanuki. And I can't bring myself to do that. I care about him too much to do that."

Watanuki felt his face heat up. "Well—" He coughed as he looked away. He didn't think that anyone would even think of him that highly before. It made him a bit embarrassed but inside he felt very happy; happier than he had ever felt before.

The shopkeeper merely smiled. He had a feeling that Yuui would say that. "I'm glad to hear that and I'm sure Watanuki is as well." His smile widened a bit as he heard Watanuki yelp.

Syaoran smiled for Watanuki as Fai hugged Yuui loosely by the shoulders.

"Now that the corny moment's over," Kurogane rolled his eyes. "How about we get to the part where you're going to freaking explain why the hell the necklace involves Yuui and us."

"Oh right." The shopkeeper chuckled. "About his necklace, there's two letters that talks about it and…other things." Though he was not physically in the room where everyone else was, he can feel slight dread coming from it. "One letter was from my former boss, Yuuko Ichihara and another letter…from a _Alphonsine Flourite_."

"Alphonsine?" Syaoran said. "Who is that?"

Watanuki shrugged. "Beats me."

"…my mother."

Everyone's eyes were on Yuui.

"In French it means _noble and ready_." The cooking teacher let out a small smile. "I remember the stories she used to tell us. Her parents gave her that name as soon she was born. According to them she never cried. Mother was also brave, never ran from a fight or from helping someone." He then laughed a bit. "Mother though hated her name, said that it was too weird a name to give a girl. So they started calling her Ally for short and she was fine with that."

"Well I think it's a wonderful name." Fai softly said. "It may have been weird but I bet it fitted her so well."

"I think so too." Syaoran agreed.

Watanuki and the shopkeeper nodded.

Kurogane sighed; a small sign that he agreed as well.

"Thanks." Yuui nodded. "Anyway, when she had Chi and us, she was known as the kindest mother of the neighborhood. She was a saint. Father has told me from time to time that he was lucky that an angel fell on earth and luckier to fell in love with that angel. That's what mother was, an angel."

"And an angel she was." The shopkeeper said. "Even though I never have met this woman, I have a feeling that she was a special woman. I can see that you're grateful to have a mom like her."

"Yes, I am." Yuui smiled. "But my mother never exactly traveled anywhere and despite what I said, she never had many friends, so how would she write a letter to anyone, let alone a woman from another world?"

"Well, the letter from Yuuko might explain it." The shopkeeper said with a frown. "Though I glanced at it, I'm very surprised…on a lot of things on this paper." He blushed as he cleared his throat. "Okay…."

* * *

_Dear my part-timer,_

_If you're reading this paper then you already know what has become of me. However, I'm not writing on my own behalf but on something entirely different, something so big that even I couldn't expect to happen. As you already know, I have meet many people and granted many wishes but never before have I granted a wish that expanded through several people and worlds. I have met a woman that was like no other. I knew she was coming but what I was slightly surprised that I met her in a dream. But then I realized something._

_She wasn't dreaming….she was dead._

_I asked her what her wish was. I knew that she wouldn't have seen me if she didn't have a wish that needed granting. Even if it was a dying wish._

_The woman didn't spoke a word. She just handed me a folded piece of paper. I took it from her hands. I looked at her eyes and I saw a smile. It was sad…but not at all miserable. She was ready to move on….as long as her last wish was granted._

_I vow to her that it would._

_She vanished before my eyes._

_I woke up on my bed with the paper still in my hand. I read what was there…and I must say I was fairly shocked; a reaction that I don't usually experienced as the witch of time and space. It would seem that dreadful man had minions among many worlds, something I have suspected but never confirmed._

_Unfortunately, the wish was well beyond my power at the time. I had a talk with some of the connections that I have and broke that wish down into pieces, they would do a part of the wish and I would pay them their dues. However, there were a couple of things that none of us could do until the moment of….my passing. I have known that my time would move forward once again, that the dream must end. But I never knew that the man would take measures so grim that it involved an innocent soul who may or may not be who I think he might be._

_I have hoped that after I died that the wish will be granted completely at that those who were affected will find peace. If you are reading this, then I assume that the wish has been granted and the remaining troubles have been dealt with._

_With that being said, I might add though that the woman who died didn't leave the world of the living without paying her end of the bargain. The evidence is in your hand. That object. I cannot tell you how I came to acquire it though. The other letter you have will explain it._

_I hope, my dear boy (that the soul that I'm referring to), you have come to the same conclusion as I have. I'm sorry to say that I hope I was wrong about it, how I hoped with all my might that I mistaken._

_I wasn't._

_I have no regrets with what I have done. But I have wished I could have done more for that person. But I'm glad that I have changed the future for that individual if only by a bit. We only have one life after all. We should live long and happy. And I hope he has as well, like you should…Watanuki…._

_With regards, Yuuko Ichihara._

* * *

He didn't know how it happened, but Watanuki felt tears running down his face. He looked up and sure enough, the shopkeeper's was crying too. He didn't know why though. He didn't know the Yuuko that the shopkeeper has known but he felt like his very heart was tearing apart, like it was Yuuko-sensei who has died. And that thought alone has made him scared.

What is it _was_ Yuuko-sensei who has died? How would _he _react?

Wiping the tears away, the shopkeeper bitterly chuckled. "I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me." He sniffled.

"We all miss her." Syaoran said softly. He glanced at Watanuki as Fai came over and hugged him in comfort. He felt a wave of sadness as well. "She may be gone but she's not forgotten. She has made a huge impact on _all_ of our lives." He glanced at Yuui and Kurogane who had a harder time holding themselves up from the reading. "She would be happy that you're living and you should be glad that even though she might be a bit of a pain….she cared. I think she still does…"

The white Mokona nodded as she has tiny tears in her eyes.

"I know…" The shopkeeper squeaked. "But it just hurts….a lot actually…" He then smiled sadly down. "It's okay Mokona….I'm fine now." He then placed a hand on his forehead. "But back to the point….Yuui."

The cooking teacher lifted his head up. "Yes?"

"You were always aware that something was off about you to a certain extant right?"

"…In a way yes." Yuui nodded.

"I'll be blunt then." The shopkeeper frowned. "You've been having dreams of another person, haven't you? Almost every night you have dreamt of someone who was very close to you. And you have no idea why."

"That's right." Yuui said with wide eyes. "And it's always the same one. I would be in a winter setting. I can feel the cold but I wasn't freezing. I saw nothing but white snow and the grey sky. Then out of nowhere, I see someone that kinda looked like me…but before I can say something, he'd either disappeared or mouthed a word before I woke up."

"…."Everyone kept their eyes on Yuui as they saw the cooking teacher hung his head a bit.

"I have told brother about this once and he assured me that it was just a dream. That it may have some mythical meaning but nothing more…but what the man had said to me was very…eerie…"

"What did that man say?" Fai asked.

"….Don't disappear."

Like looking at a flash of lightning shining upon the dark night, the whole groups stopped and stared at Yuui. With the exception of Watanuki, they knew what those two words mean and they didn't like it one bit.

"I was afraid of that." The shopkeeper grimly said. "I bet Yuuko knew at an extent of the situation." He then played with his sleeve. "Yuui…I know that the last few days has been draining you greatly but what I'm about to say might break you but please wait until the end, okay?"

Yuui let out a soft, humorless chuckle. "I'm already broken. I lost my parents, I hid things from my twin and now almost got killed by a man who I barely known. What more can be done to me?"

Fai and Kurogane looked at each other as something passed between them. Watanuki felt like crying again. As for Syaoran…he can understand the sentiment. A whole life of just bad things, one right after the other. However….

"You've been hurt." Syaoran muttered. "People that you have cared for have been taken from you. We all have been there. But I think you're far from broken. I think there's a part of you that doesn't believe that. And that part's been with you since the incident. Or else you wouldn't be here, right?"

The cooking teacher glanced at the boy in surprise.

"Surprisingly, Syaoran's on the dot with that." The shopkeeper said with a small smile. "Though what was holding Yuui together will shock all of you." He then cleared his throat. "Yuui, you are…a planned sacrifice."

"A planned sacrifice?" Yuui asked. "I don't understand."

"That man had something to do with it after all, didn't he?" Kurogane darkly said.

"Yes and no." The shopkeeper nodded. "Apparently, that man had some minor back-up plans in case the _mission_ was starting to fail but he had long since forgotten it. However, his failed creations; his minor minions didn't."

"So what happened?" Watanuki asked.

The shopkeeper bit his lip. "It kinda comes down to Yuui's mom and _Fai_'s deceased brother. I…Ally, your mom, wanted nothing more than to have another child. Chi was special but like any other parent, she wanted to make sure Chi had someone to play and spend time with. When she finally was pregnant, she was given the necklace by her grandmother. But…the minions did something that I deemed unforgiveable."

"What did they do?" Syaoran asked with a frown.

"It was long before the birth of the twins. As a setup, one of the minions formed into a helpless child and one day when Ally was outside and ran into oncoming traffic…."

"….And mother went to save the child…." Yuui gritted his teeth. "I remember father telling me about the incident. He said that it was lucky that brother and I survived….or so I thought…."

"Yes, so when your mother was lying on the street bleeding, she fell into a deep sleep. In the realm of dreams is where the creature appeared and made a deal with her. If it helped her save the twins then one of them must be put up for a sacrifice for its master. She didn't know what was going on but she was running out of time…."

"So she agreed." Syaoran muttered.

"Several months later, the eve before the birth, Ally was plagued by another in her dreams. A prince of a faraway land came to her."

"My brother…." Fai whispered.

"Correct." The shopkeeper nodded. "That man didn't take his soul as once thought but just threw it away from the closed dimension, left to wonder through planes. As it wondered from one place to another, the soul grew and matured. Until he was certain he found a place so he can be reborn into. However he was not much aware of the situation."

"So then what happened?" Kurogane asked.

"From what I can gather, he came to Ally in a dream and asked her if he can go into one of her twins and be reborn. She shook her head and cried. She told him about what happened to her. So he made a compromise."

"He wanted to protect the sacrifice and make sure nothing happens to him." Syaoran put some pieces together. "But he still wanted to be in him either way.

"_Fai_….my brother….he used magic to protect Yuui from the minions hold and prevented him from being that man's sacrifice for his plans." Fai whispered. "He wanted to be reborn and come back to me…but it was already too late…Yuui was Yuui. Those minions made sure of that."

"And unfortunately, the minions knew what the two had planned and as they were two steps ahead, those creatures were four steps ahead…."

"What do you…mean…?" Yuui dared asked.

"Your great-uncle, Yuui." The shopkeeper frowned deeply. "Along with Father Ashura, those minions influenced them and killed off your family one by one…but Ashura was stronger, he tried to hold them off." He sighed. "He was getting close to you so he would know where your relatives were and kill them…but he couldn't do it. He cared about you too much to do so."

"…" Yuui felt his heart sink in sadness. He knew Ashura liked him…he just didn't know that he'd be involved in something like this.

"At some point in your childhood, Ally wrote a letter to Yuuko as _Fai_ told her about the witch and assured her that if there's anyone who can protect what's left of the family, it'd be her. She knew that the minions will want to get to you…so she made a choice."

"It was either Yuui-sensei or her." Watanuki said with wide eyes. "Oh god, this is way too horrific to be real. This….what the hell?" He then covered his mouth as he realized he shouted the last part loudly. "S-Sorry." He muttered.

"It's fine…" Yuui smiled a bit. "Despite everything, I have….to agree with you on that. It's ridiculous on so many levels." He then rubbed his head. "A man…that doesn't exist in _this_ world had his people scammed my own mother…into having one of us as a sacrifice…for his damn plan….and I bet they knew which one they would take…so did Fai's dead brother…" He sighed. "Father knew eventually, didn't he?"

The shopkeeper smiled sadly. "Your father wasn't a world-renown therapist for nothing."

Yuui felt his insides just twist and turn as his heart was hurting greatly. It was too much for him. So they left not to prevent their uncle's massacre…they wanted to prevent his death that was from his birth. They died for _his _sake. "I can't….this is….mother….father…oh god."

Kurogane glanced at Yuui before wrapping his left arm around the cooking teacher's shoulders. "I'm not the type to say 'it's okay' when it's not. I don't lie to people just to make them feel better when crap comes their way and sticks. But believe me when I say that your parents cared a lot about you, enough that they were willing to die in your place because they wanted you to have a good life without some curse, some dark wish, some evil plan and just live to the fullest. I know my parents wanted me to and everyone else here."

The cooking teacher leaned on the man's shoulder. What he said was true and all….but it doesn't change the fact that they were dead. He was marked and they pay the price for that. He didn't care about the details of that man, the plan, minions and such. His parents _died_ and he couldn't do anything. His parents, his great-uncle and even Ashura _died _and it was because of him. He knew that it wasn't his fault, but he felt like it did.

Fai and the rest wasn't fairing well either. The mage wrapped his legs close to him and sighed; more about his deceased twin then anything. Syaoran couldn't help but feel guilty about all of this. He was in a deep slumber before Acid Tokyo and he never knew about Reed's lesser known minions, even less about their plan. Now he felt stupid for not knowing after all this time.

Watanuki…he felt like punching something. He was the only one in his friend groups who lost his both of his parents at the same time when he was a kid. He just started second grade and was excited about show-and-tell. Next thing he knew, he was standing in front of two coffins on a rainy day. He knew what it felt like to want to die right then and there. Then Doumeki came into the picture….if it wasn't for that jerk…he didn't know what would happen.

And Yuui…to hear that his life was hell before he was born, and have most of his family exterminated…Watanuki just wanted to vent his anger at _something._ He had felt despair, sadness, self-loathing, and even depression. But it was the first time he felt a deep anger…not for himself…but for a teacher who praised him as a cook and cared for him like a childhood friend. It wasn't _fair_…all he did was being born…how can this happen to him. It just wasn't fair!

The shopkeeper was more or less in dismal as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Like everyone else, he just felt deflated over the whole situation. As powerful as he was, there was not much he can do to erase the pain that Yuui had to endure. Before all of this, he wasn't even _remotely_ aware and he was the new keeper of the shop for god's sake. But he wasn't Yuuko. Yuuko knew about it or at least most of it….but she wasn't here anymore. She wasn't here to nudge in the right direction, or give him cryptic saying that he will figure out or even warnings to help him out of trouble.

That was then, this is now. The shopkeeper had to move forward and have to learn on his own…even if it meant seeing others in pain.

"Yuui…." The shopkeeper said as he pushed up his glasses. "I still have the other letter…the one that came from you own mother…" He showed the folded, wrinkled piece of paper for all to see. "As you can tell, it was stored away for quite some time. How long, I'm not sure especially since time flows differently for each world. However, for just one hour…I can sent this to you, free of charge, and have you and only you read what your mother wrote just days before her death…whether you want to or not, it's your choice. I'm…just giving you an option with no strings attach. Knowing or not knowing, you decide."

Everyone turned to Yuui, who had his sapphire eyes glazed over with an unknown emotion. His face was blank but what was going inside of him was a different story. He glanced at his hands which were clenching very hard through most of the discussion. He deeply frowned. After a few painfully moments, Yuui looked up and sighed. "I would like to see mother's letter. I want to see the situation from her words…her perspective."

"And you're sure about this." The shopkeeper said.

"…Yes."

"Very well." The shopkeeper looked down. "Mokona, if you please." The letter glowed before it vanished out of his hand. Then the white mokona's eyes bugged out before she opened her mouth. Then out popped the letter.

The cooking teacher took the folded, tampered paper and felt the texture with his hands. He slightly smiled. "That sneaky woman."

Fai glanced over. "What is it Yuui?"

Holding out the letter, Yuui's smile was seen. "This paper she used…to write the paper…it was a page from a journal that I got for our eighth birthday. It was cream colored with marks of soft golden-brown lines in the corners…she must have…." Yuui's smile faded. "Ripped a page out of it when I wasn't…looking…"

"Yuui-sensei…" Watanuki muttered in sadness.

"I know that what was discussed in this very room will take time to sink in but what was said is true. What happen happened for a reason, what you saw and hear was true. It's now up to you to decide where to go from there." The shopkeeper glanced at the cooking teacher. "Starting with that letter. Whatever you do afterwards will be your choice and your choice alone. Don't rush it."

With a nod, Yuui moved away from Kurogane's somewhat embrace and stood up from the couch. Holding the letter, he started walking out of the living room. "I'll be on the back patio if anyone needs me."

The mage (along with the others) watched as the cooking teacher was out of their sight. With a shattering sigh, Fai fell back onto Kurogane's chest and closed his eyes. "So my brother waited for me to come back. He wanted to see me just one last time and while I had no idea, he protected Yuui as much as he could. He wanted to do something to make up for not protecting me. But it wasn't his fault. I just….he was….my only family…my dear twin…" He felt a hand caressing his back as he felt a kiss on the top of his head. "_Fai_…" He muttered as he started to cry. "I'm so sorry…I'm sorry that you had to go through that even after death…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

Kurogane couldn't say anything as he continued to hold and comfort Fai as best as he can. He glanced over to see Syaoran trying to calm Watanuki down as the blue-eyed teen was two seconds away from wanting to pull his hair out in anger. He looked down and saw Mokona covering her watering eyes with her tiny paws. He glanced up and saw that the shopkeeper was nowhere in sight. Probably wanting to get some fresh air. Looking back at Fai, Kurogane felt his own heart hurting a bit from all of this but Fai was more important to him at the moment.

For now, after a long time, all he can do is just be there and be patient. Because what else can he really do, when it was something that was out of his own damn control?

* * *

**TBC**

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Not long now until the end

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
**


	21. He saw, she saw: Letting things go

Another chapter up guys~!

This story is so close into finally be completed. Just a few more to go.

I'm so going to miss this story once it's completed. I can't tell you guys how much I love writing for this story. And the fact that it'll be actually completed. XD I wished I can turn back time and prevented my self from having that writing block. But whatever. XD

So with that, enjoy. ^_^

* * *

**He saw, she saw: Final piece of the puzzle/Letting things go**

* * *

_Dear Ichihara,_

_I know that it must seem odd that I, a total stranger, would write to you, a person whom I never known before. However, there was no one else that I can turn to._

_It all started with that dastardly bout of dark fate. Fifteen years ago, I found out I was pregnant and with twins. I couldn't be happier. I had a loving husband, a warm home and a sweet daughter to play and care for them. It was a couple months after that I was lured into a trap by beings from another world. However I didn't know at the time._

_It was only a little child in the middle of the street. I wanted to do the right thing._

_Why did it have to be this way? I'm sorry….I'm rambling a bit._

_The next thing I knew I was between life and death with the 'child' along with many other creatures. They told me that I was going to die along with my twin babies. I was in shock and asked if there was anything that can be done. Time was running out and I felt myself getting colder and pale._

_So we made a deal._

_They said that they had great power such as seeing into the future and stopping a person from death but they had to sacrifice one of their own to do so…_

…_and in exchange, in the fifteenth year of their lives, one of the twins will be become a sacrifice. And they already chose which one and made sure that nothing will prevent their souls from dying or being taken._

_I didn't know what they meant by that but if they could prevent my as well as the twins' death, I was willing to do anything. So I said yes._

_I couldn't believe it. What have I done?_

_I had the vision of those creatures burning through my mind from that day until the eve before the birth. It was when I was plagued by another. I was having a dream and he came to me….we were in a winter wasteland with nothing but snow around us. He was smiling at me…and I came to him. _

_He said that his name was Fai; a former prince from a place far, far away. I told him that one of my twins will be named that. His smile turned into a frown. He wanted me to do something for him. He wanted to take over one of my babies so he can be reborn; for the sole purpose of waiting. He was looking for someone very dear to him._

_I shook my head and told him that he was far too late. For I have done something unforgivable to my twins. I was not sure how we were able to talk through a dream but I was glad I had someone to confide in. A plan was made and we knew what had to be done._

_If only it that wasn't true to those creatures._

_My twins were born the very next day and that's when I saw it. The mark of the sacrifice in a shape of symbolic wings on his chest; Yuui's chest. I was the only one who saw it. The prince though dead sensed the curse that was dwelled within in. He promised that as long as he was around our family, the curse will be at its minimum. It was part of his wish, to wait for his brother to come back to him and hopefully be reborn. I wasn't sure if he meant my dear Yuui or another but I guess, I'll never know._

_Then we started visiting my uncle and things turned for the worst._

_Hallucinations, rage, despair; those words I never thought I would use to describe what Uncle had. It wasn't until he charged after Yuui that I knew. The creatures got him…he and Father Ashura both. When it happened, Ashura was in the same room; covered in his own blood. It was…awful._

_It was after that incident, that my husband confronted me. I could never get anything past him. So...I told him. With him knowing, he wanted to help our family; or what's left of it; including Yuui._

_So with him and Fai, we made one final effort._

_If we were to meet in a dream when this letter arrives then that means that what we did worked. If you see Fai, tell him that he has to keep his end of the bargain. For our children's sake, they need a guardian angel around them; and I hope that he would see who he's waiting for._

_If you also see Yuui….tell him…I'm sorry. I didn't mean for all of this to happen. He shouldn't have to suffer for the things that were out of his control. I wanted to undo the things I did. I wanted to just have a happy life and made sure my children get the best of everything. But I guess there's no happy ending; not completely, is there?_

_So with my final words written on my poor son's journal paper, I implore you: please help erase what I did and help my Yuui; no, help my children. I will pay anything just please, grant my wish and save all of us from the nightmare from happening. Please…._

_With hope, Alphonsine Blanchard Fluorite_

* * *

Yuui had to wipe his eyes to prevent any further water damage to the letter. He leaned his head on the wood as he was trying to breathe normally though the emotions that was running through and around him was making it difficult.

"Mother….oh mother…" Yuui mumbled out. "You wanted to fix that mistake…..you really did love us…." He then snuffled. "No…you always loved us. You loved us so much that you and father died so we can live….so _I_ could live…." He let out a shaky sigh. "But….it wasn't your fault…you didn't have to….I would have been fine….with just dying then and there knowing that you cared…."

"Would you really?"

The cooking teacher tensed up but made no movement. He didn't have to move to know who was behind him.

Fai was leaning on the doorway with an unreadable look on his face. He wasn't standing there for long but just long enough to see Yuui in turmoil over that letter. He sighed as he pushed himself off the frame. "You know, the shopkeeper added a few things about the whole thing…after he came back."

"..Is that so…?" Yuui muttered.

"Yeah, he said that there was a mark inside of you that only your mom could see. My brother…sensed it more or less but how he never saw it was anyone's guess." Fai stopped as he was just a couple feet away from the cooking teacher. "Those minions marked you like they marked a certain other person…a very long time ago. It was the same exact mark that you had, Yuui."

The comment made Yuui move his head just slightly towards the mage. "How can you know they were the same? It could have been any other mark; they were just lowly minions after all."

"Could it?" Fai retaliated. "Because you were marked for death on your fifteenth year, and have both your body _and_ soul used by that dreaded man for his dream. Sounds a lot like a princess that I knew very well." He then sniffled. "And if your parents didn't come up with something to counterattack with it, I'd say you'd be killed in a similar fashion."

"Similar, how?" Yuui had to ask.

"By being killed in front of the people you love." Fai whispered. "Your dying breath stilled as you can feel blood wanting to pour out but it doesn't. You could feel death closely around you but just not close enough. Then…nothing." Fai wrapped his arms around himself. "At that point you'd cease to exist; in this world at least. Your body and soul played again and again until he would have grown bored of you…and then…."

The mage wouldn't dare finish that sentence.

At those words, Yuui felt another wave of sadness running through him. "I was going to be killed by my own uncle and family friend because I was marked even before birth to be some sort of…fucking _object_ that some crazed man wanted to use for his goddamn dream!" He punched the wood with his free hand over and over as he felt nothing but hopelessness and anger.

_It's not fair, it's not fair! It wasn't fucking fair!_

Fai watched as Yuui kept punching the wood; seeing the punches slowly weakening until it was nothing but pathetic soft taps on the surface. Then he saw the cooking teacher slumped and heard a shattering yet gentle cry.

"How can…how can this be…?" Yuui softly cried out. "My family had nothing to do with this! My mom…she was an angel; an innocent angel who have done nothing wrong! She had a good life, we all did! She didn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve to die, not my mother or father or any of the family!" He shook his head. "And now…even I…who have done nothing but exist, was doomed from the start to die before…before I even knew what I wanted to be!" He stood up and covered his face. "I don't understand! Why us, why mother and father…why _me_?"

The mage went to the cooking teacher and wrapped his arms around him. "Sometimes I ask myself the same thing. _What did I do wrong? What have we done to others? Was it because we exists, that we were cursed?_ Those questions burned in my mind and wretched my heart for as long as I can remember. Even now, it still haunts me."

Yuui let out a sob. "I know. I saw it." He then leaned his head on Fai's shoulder. "And to top it all off, I almost killed my brother when I heard the news."

"I know." Fai softly said. "But that bit...it wasn't your fault."

"Huh?" Yuui piped up a bit.

"You know now that you were marked." Fai continued. "That mark should have glowed and you would have ran to your uncle to meet your demise…but when that didn't happen…those minions had a plan B."

"A plan B?" Yuui whispered.

"Yes, I guess to put it simply….'_if we can't have him…no one can…' _if those creatures couldn't have you…then they must have had a plan B." Fai hated seeing Yuui like this. He wanted to be the person who can just smile and tell him that everything's alright when it isn't. But that wasn't just him…not anymore.

Yuui gripped the fabric that Fai was wearing. "So they…made me try to kill my brother?"

"In a way yes." Fai nodded. "According to the shopkeeper, the mark you had in you morphed into some sort of dark catalyst that let out your deep anger that was growing inside of you when you were growing up. It was only when you heard about the deaths of your parents that it...in a way…activated…" Fai then gulped. "The Plan B was KIA-killed in action. You'd snap and kill your brother and in a fit of madness, you'd then kill yourself. Like I said, if they couldn't have you…no one would."

Lifting his head from Fai's shoulder, Yuui had a thought. "If that's true…what stopped me from going on with…plan B?" He then felt soft hands touching his face. He looked up and saw Fai smiling at him.

"My brother…" The mage said. "And your dear mother's love. Your parents were between life and death when the incident occurred and my brother stopped you in time." Fai then looked confused. "I don't know what happened and the shopkeeper was more or less lost but something occurred in that moment when you were close to murder. It made you stop…and you were then free of the mark completely."

"So…my parents…and your brother…helped me…and saved the both of us from…that fate." Yuui couldn't help but let out some soft chuckles as his eyes were watery. "Sounds too good to be true…it's like a novel or even a movie."

"Even the very things that were proved fake can hold a grain of truth, like myths and legends." Fai said. "The point is, you were trapped without knowing it and in a mist of everything, you were free…though of course…nothing can be done without a price."

"Fai…." Yuui started. "Did you….wished that if you had the ability to change things…would you?"

It took Fai a few seconds to comprehend the question…before he burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that Yuui leaned back in shock. Was the question that ridiculous?

"Oh my god." Fai said loudly as he calmed down. "Not a day goes by that I would be thinking that." He wiped his eyes. "Oh dear. Yeah, I have thought about for a very long time, even now I do. But would I wish for a different outcome? The me before would have without a doubt. _He_ would do just about anything to have those terrible things undone and erased. Though what _he_ wanted most of all is to turn back time and save his brother from a gruesome death so they could live mostly normal lives. But…"

"But…?"

"But that part of me is gone. Instead, I'm someone different; someone who has indeed lived through much pain and agony, someone who now knew what is like to live, someone who found much more than any other person can even imagine, someone who can now say 'yes, I have been hurt…but I'm not alone anymore. I'm healing and soon I'll be happy again'. _I'm_ that someone now."

"So you wouldn't." Yuui stated. "Even if there was no price involved? No strings attached?"

"Yuui, you have to understand something." Fai firmly started. "Things happen for a reason. I'm not saying that what happened to you was inevitable. Nothing's ever written in stone so to speak. It's just that not everyone experienced the same things that you have. You have been hurt and been lonely without ever being alone. What if you _could_ change the course of your life up until a certain point? Would you be the person I'm speaking to right now?"

The cooking teacher frowned as he thought about it. "I…I don't think so."

"Exactly. You see, if nothing has ever happened to you, you wouldn't be the kind of person you would be today. I know for certain that if I changed the course of my life, I have never been able to learn what it was like to know pain and loss. I wouldn't have made friends the way things can go and I certainly wouldn't know how to love…especially with that hunk of a ninja."

"And he might know how to love another either…not without you even." Yuui said with wide-eyes.

"Everyone has thought what it be like if this happened or that never occurred but we can't kid ourselves thinking that it'd be better; not completely." Fai grinned. "You have been in this mess and with difficulty, dug yourself out of it. Even without my brother around you I bet you knew how to get by even when you lost hope now and again. You're a very special person Yuui, and that's the truth."

Staring into those identical sapphire eyes, Yuui didn't know what to say. Never in a million years would he see the day that someone who had suffered as he did would understand what he had been through and still comfort him. Well…the chances of seeing people from another world were also slim but that's another story. Though it was frustrating and even a bit maddening, he felt a bit happy though that everything was out of the open and there were people to help him deal with it. If he were to deal with it alone, he might not even get out of his own home.

Then again, he'd bet Fai had those days too. Years, even.

It might take a while to fully heal from the whole fiasco, maybe he might not get _over_ it..but at least…he knew now…that what he had felt or done in his life wasn't just…_him_. That much made him feel better. Softly laughing, Yuui touch the hands that in turn touched his face. "I guess…if certain things didn't happen, I wouldn't have known that there was other versions of me or brother much less see one of them. Thanks…other brother…for..everything…"

Fai chuckled. "Hey, don't give me _all_ the credit. Kuro-puu and the others helped you too and you helped them too without asking anything in return. So it should be _me_ thanking you for all you have done…_little_ brother."

"Little?" Yuui playfully asked. "What do you mean by little? We're the same height and you don't look any older than me."

"Oh Yuui, poor naive Yuui." Fai shook his head with a wide grin. "You forget that I'm from another world where certain laws and things don't apply to this world." He then shook a finger. "And you also forget that I'm a mage and a powerful one at that."

Yuui scoffed with a smile. "So? If you're such a powerful mage then how come you don't look old like those wizards in movies?"

"Ha! Those wizards have nothing on me!" Fai then pointed to his own face. "My magic is very rare. The more I use it, the sturdier my body while the years go by so in short, I'm practically years older then you and yet look no more than a young adult."

"…No way…"

"Yep."

"So you're immortal."

"Close but no dice." Fai smiled. "As far as anyone's concerned, there's no such thing as immortality. It's a myth…but there are people who have lived three or more times as long as any normal person and still look young."

"So the magic that you have, kept you young for as long as you use it." Yuui stated. "That's got to be a hassle."

"More then you know Yuui." Fai grinned. "More then you'll _ever _know."

* * *

"Kuro-puu? Are you sleeping right now?"

Kurogane twitched from one of the dreaded nicknames he has gotten used to and cracked one eye open just slightly. "Not anymore." He grunted.

Yuui had to smile at the sight before him. Fai leaning over Kurogane's shoulders; just snuggling up to him. It was sweet; odd but sweet. It was like looking at a level of a relationship for the first time.

"Aww~! I didn't know my lovely big dog was sleeping peacefully." Fai cooed. "You were so sweet and caring when you held me in your arms not too long ago." His smile grew soft. "I guess I tired you out huh?"

"Hell no." Kurogane frowned. "I just bored and all. Since I can't do any training until my damn arm is fully healed, I'm fucking invalid until then so why not sleep the day away?"

"Wow, you do not use sarcasm well, do you?" Yuui grinned.

"How about you take that sarcasm and shove it, nerd." Kurogane glared at the cooking teacher.

"Ooh! Kurgs is getting testy." Fai teased. His eyes then trialed to the floor and got a big surprise. "Well I be." Fai crossed his arms. "I never thought I would see such a cute sight in this lifetime."

"Cute?" Yuui followed Fai's sight and then covered his mouth with his hand. He resisted the urge to smile. "Oh my."

On the floor, not too far from the ninja were the male duo, sleeping while their heads leaning on each other; covered in a big thick blanket. Though what made the already cute scene even cuter was that Mokona was snuggling in between them. With a little cooing coming from the creature, Yuui almost regret not having a camera in hand.

"Watanuki was very pissed." Kurogane said. "Up to the point that if he wasn't a wimp, he'd create a dent to the wall. The kid calmed him down…but then the wimp started to cry. He just…fell down to his knees." Kurogane sighed. "Syaoran tried to make him stop but that made him started to cry and in the moment they started to hug and cry and that…mushy crap."

"So they fell asleep crying." Fai said softly. "Poor puppies."

"And the blanket?" Yuui asked.

The ninja grew silent. Then out of nowhere there was a red tint on his cheeks. It didn't take a genius to see what was going on.

"You sweet thing." Fai giggled. "You put a blanket on them, didn't you?"

"Shut it." Kurogane muttered. "They were freaking shivering and it bugged me. It was the pork bun who got the damn blanket."

"But you put it on them." Yuui smiled. "There's no denying it. It's written all over your face."

"It's true~!" Fai grinned. "You're the loving father whether you like it or not~!"

"…." Kurogane knew that Fai and Yuui were one part of twins but _damn_, he never would imagine what it'd be like if those two were their own twins. It was killing him on his pride and his mind. Freaking exhausting. "If you two say _one word_ to those kids about _any_ of this…"

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed." Fai said with a zip of his lips.

"And you have the potential to kill me, so I got nothing." Yuui lightly joked. "Your secret's safe with me."

"Good." Kurogane nodded. "Oh and Yuui…the shopkeeper wants to tell you that you can keep the letter for a little while longer…apparently, he needed some fresh air…so to speak."

It was no secret that the shopkeeper himself had to let what he just saw and said sink in. He wasn't the Watanuki that they knew before, that boy was replaced by a much mature but secretive man who could be the mirror image of Yuuko if she were a guy. But the boy in him will come out from time to time. He laughs like the others and he cries like the others.

The group wondered if he'll ever get over Yuuko's death.

Yuui fiddled the letter in his hand as he bit his lip. "That's okay…I guess. I already read it though."

That peaked the ninja's attention, if only a bit. "Really. And…?"

The cooking teacher shrugged. "I'm starting to see everything from everyone's view, Fai's, Yuuko's and my mother's." He then rubbed the back of his neck. "There's still a lot to take in but…I think I'll be okay."

"You think?"

"Kurgs, be a little nicer. Poor Yuui had a lot to go through." Fai pouted as he hugged Yuui like a stuffed animal. "He's very delicate and needs emotional nourishment right now. So be like a big dog and help him."

Yuui raised an eyebrow. "He's joking….right?"

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "With this guy, you might as well be talking to a clown…a very _annoying_ clown."

The cooking teacher nodded; though on the inside he was happy that Fai cared.

* * *

"Here's the letter back." Yuui held out the paper and watched it get sucked into Mokona's mouth. He then saw the letter popped out from the other Mokona (apparently) and right into the shopkeeper's hands. He'll never understand how did the transfers actually work.

"So here's the letter." The shopkeeper waved the folded paper for everyone to see. "And it goes right back with the others to the were-house with all the other trinkets." He then heavily sighed. "I…apologize for acting so…discordantly. It rarely happens as it is."

"No, it's fine." Yuui chuckled. He glanced over at the adult pair. Fai was smiling while Kurogane was lightly dozing off again. "We were just getting over a few things too. And it would seem that Fai and I are the only ones awake. Excluding Mokona, of course."

"Yep!" Mokona chirped.

"Well…I guess we all have to recuperate from that bomb dropped on us." The shopkeeper chuckled. "Ah…it's moments like this that I wish I can just read some of my favorite manga series just to get a smile on my face."

"I usually just turn on the radio and listen to light classical music while drinking a cup of mint tea." Yuui shrugged.

"Oh that sounds nice." Fai piped up. "Just laying on a soft fluffy bed, having a warm cup of tea and just relaxing to music." He sighed. "I envy you, Yuui."

"What do I look like, liver?" Kurogane grumbled; his voice heavy from sleep.

"Oh Kuro-puu, you know that I would love to cuddle with you most of all." Fai placed a kiss on the man's cheek which made the man frown. "So what now?"

"I guess what we can all do now is just….relax." The shopkeeper said with some hesitation. "I mean…the last few days have been more or less hectic and we have been though things that are emotionally and mentally…painful. So what I suggest is to just let things continued to simmer and when the time is right, we'd be back to normal."

"Nomal?" Yuui chuckled.

"Well…not _normal _normal but pretty darn close to it." The shopkeeper said. "I know that the events that have occurred to you and the people you have met can't be erased that quickly. And there's no way that we can undo what we did. But you are given a choice whether or not you want to let things go back to normal. You hold the cards to the potential future. What happens next, is up to you."

Yuui nodded but has yet to let the words sink in. He smiled instead. "Thank you. Um…I'm just…going to the kitchen and make some dinner. I need some time to think about it." He stood up from the couch and walked away from the group.

Fai watched him go with a small frown. "Shopkeeper…I don't think it was wise to put that much weight of his choice on his shoulders now. He just got over the letter."

"I know and it was rather harsh of me to do." The shopkeeper agreed. "But he's not the type of person who would not take things lightly. He has known pain and suffering; the two things that are never taken lightly. He wants the option of what to do…and even though he doesn't have much of idea what the future might entail when he does choose, he wants to be the one who makes it and hopefully, he'll make the right decision."

The mage seemed to have bought the explanation but he was still a bit on edge. He then felt Kurogane's hand gently squeezing his. He smiled. "You really are the best person I have ever met, do you know that?"

Kurogane smirked. "Damn straight, I do. And don't you forget it."

The shopkeeper chuckled at the display in front of him. He knew that at least those two are still on the road for recovery.

* * *

Chopping the onions, Yuui's mind was anywhere but the kitchen. What he liked about cooking was that you get to make a good dish and have some time for some personal thought. Unfortunately, it wasn't about the academy, his brother or friends. He dumped the onions into the pot with a heavy sigh.

_What should I do?_

Shaking his head, Yuui then went to the fridge and took out some chicken legs and wings. He then slightly smiled.

_I guess I can try some BBQ._

After washing and finishing the sauce, Yuui walked out of the kitchen with pots in his arms. As he was walking through the living room, he glanced over briefly at the group. He smiled at the scene before him.

_I guess everyone went to sleep. I bet even the shopkeeper wanted to rest as well._

Smiling, Yuui went into the hallway and out into the back porch. Turning on the grill, Yuui leaned on the wood and looked up at the night sky. "I can't believe it. Just a while ago, I was an inch away from death. A day before I had to relive a certain person's life through my own eyes, and just hours ago I read my dead mother's letter that shouldn't have existed." He chuckled.

_What a spring break._

"Um…Yuui-sensei?"

The cooking teacher looked over and saw Watanuki glancing back at him with sleepy eyes and covered in a blanket. He smiled softly. "Well good evening my prized student. What brings you here in the starlight?"

"I just…" Watanuki casted his eyes down. "I just woke up and all. Syaoran and I found this blanket on us and…." He then frowned. "I'm sorry, sensei?"

Yuui raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For…for not being the type of person that I know I wanted to be." Watanuki bit his lip. "I mean I have lost parents and been alone all my life. But there's you and….you wanted someone to talk to and I blame myself for not being there when you needed someone. I…it's not right." Out of nowhere, Watanuki felt arms wrapping themselves around him. He blinked in surprise. "Sensei?"

"Yuui, my name is Yuui." The cooking teacher then smiled softly. "And it's okay. You don't have to blame for what has happened to me. Like other people I made mistakes. I thought that if I put my misery and emotional turmoil inside then maybe I would try to be happy. I never asked for help; never thought that I would need it." He then kissed the top of Watanuki's head. "But knowing that people like you, brother, and others are with me makes me feel less lonely. I don't care whether or not you want to help me. You're here with me and that's more then enough for me."

Letting those words sink in, Watanuki hugged back; rather shyly before leaning back a bit. "I…Is it okay if…I tell you about my life…just so we're even. You fought your demons and I want to fight mine."

"There's no shame in not revealing anything." Yuui said. "You have much worse than I do. I may have suffered during my childhood but I wasn't an only child; much less one that had nowhere to go."

"I know." Then there was a bit of determination in those dark-ish blue eyes. "But I want to. I want to talk to you about it. Because…what I have learned from this mess was that...I have my whole life ahead of me. Seeing the shopkeeper got me a bit scared…but he never regretted anything…and I don't want to either. So please, let me do this."

Sighing, Yuui nodded. "If that's your choice. Let's sit by the bench, shall we." As soon as they were seated, Yuui clasped his hands together. "So then, tell me the life of my prized student and friend; Kimihiro Watanuki."

Blushing, Watanuki nodded and then cleared his throat. "My life started like any other person, I was born and had loving parents. We were living in a weird area you see….."

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
**


	22. Not a final farewell

_Note to self_: Try not to type so fast on the keyboard. The computer cannot compute fast enough as it is and the words 'You're' and 'Your' are not the same no matter how similar they sound.

I hope you guys like this. I worked fast on this to get it out before the Holidays because I'm not sure what I'll be doing but I have a feeling I'll be going to some boring party and standing in the coroner looking like a wallflower. (Yay, fun. *rolls eyes* )

Anyway, please enjoy. ^_^

* * *

**Not a final farewell**

* * *

In hindsight, Yuui should have known that those people that he had met, had seen, talked to and cared for…would not stay forever. He should have known that as much as he liked them, they were or rather _are _other world beings of the people he already knew. They were the same and yet they were different. They may have the same faces but they are much different even from each other. He should have known from the start. And yet, he didn't say or do anything to change that though even if he could it wouldn't make a difference.

They all had different lives to pursue and none of them involved staying together.

Not like this.

* * *

[Several minutes before]

Fai and Kurogane were snuggling on the couch, all alone in the living room. The mage felt very satisfied overall about how things turned out, like he just read the ending of one of those mystery novels. Though he'd be lying if he said that he was _happy _about the whole thing. Just when he thought that his dreaded past was over, in comes Yuui who was undeservingly tied into it; making the mage feel the heated scars of his once-was yet again. It was already painful the first and second time around which led to the question if the mage would ever get over his past completely.

Kurogane silently watched Fai's expressions and slight movements. It was safe to say that he was glad that the whole situation was done and over with. As much as he hated to admit it out loud, he was glad that everyone was alright and mostly in one piece. Though deep down inside, he felt useless over the whole Yuui's past/ reason for even _being_ here scenario. He didn't think that the Fei Wong Reed's power or minions would last even after all of this time.

He even heard from the boy that when the man died, the creations go along with him.

'_That bastard.' _The ninja scowled. _'Even after his death, he's messing with other peoples' lives just so he can do the impossible. Even with all of his power, he's just a dumb child; wanting something that he just can't have.' _Though he had to admit that he was the same in a certain aspect. When his home was torn apart that day, all he wanted was to have mother and father alive again so they can stay as a family and live life as peacefully as possible.

But the dead stay dead. Life goes in one current. There are no ifs or buts about it.

Even the witch knew that.

That _damn_ witch.

"Kurgy, you have that look on your face. Is something wrong?"

The ninja snapped out of his ramblings as his eyes locked on the mage's. The face he had softened a bit. "No, nothing's wrong." He grunted. "Just thinking."

Moving up on the warrior, Fai raised an eyebrow. "Thinking about what?"

"Our travels, that bastard, the kid, the witch, Yuui, the shopkeeper, the princess…and you." Kurogane whispered the last part. Though he wasn't the brutal warrior that he was when he began traveling the first time around; he was far from being the person who was sentimental. That part of him took a long time to get used to.

Snuggling on the man's chest, Fai hummed. "You're worried, aren't you?" When the other didn't respond, the mage smiled softly. "It's okay though. We may have been through pain and anguish once again but I think we are in the clear this time."

"It's not okay." Kurogane glared at the wall. "It's fucked up; the way things had been since we got here. I thought seeing your brother from another world would be the only problem. Then the puppet showed up and died on us before we even put our hands on him. Not to mention that Yuui was involved before he even knew about other worlds. And by his own mother."

"You shouldn't blame Yuui's mother about this." Fai slightly frowned. "She made a mistake, that much is true but she was a target for those creatures. She's only a victim in this. Nothing more. I know that you wanted to blame someone for this but it's no use blaming the dead. Nothing will come from it."

"I know that." Kurogane sighed. "But Yuui didn't deserve this crap. He should live life as a normal person."

"But you forget that everyone is a part of a big thing called fate." Fai pointed out. "Whether or not it was good or bad is up to the person in question. We are all destined for something; the question would be would we take it or fight for something else?"

Sinking further into the couch, Kurogane pressed his lips into a thin line. "Sometimes…I forgot what a smartass you are."

"Heh." Fai chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment. But I didn't come up with that on my own. You helped me, you know."

"Hmm…I guess I did." Kurogane then kissed the top of Fai's head. "But still…"

"I know Kuro-sama." Fai nodded. "But Yuui will have his happy ending soon enough."

* * *

"I forgot how cold spring evenings are." Syaoran shivered a bit. He was leaning on the wood of the back porch just seeing Yuui and Watanuki sitting on the bench. He came outside to see what was holding the two up. He almost squeaked as he saw Watanuki hugging Yuui's waist loosely.

It took all of Yuui's control to calmly explain to Syaoran that is _not_ what it looked like.

After the initial shock wore off, Syaoran opted to stay outside to get some fresh air. It was not rare but at the same time not as common for the boy to just have a peace of mind. When he began his second journey, all he can think about was his princes and how worried she would be with him being away for a long time. But at the moment, his mind was a complete blank. Not even his love filled his head that night. So he just stood there, looking at the bright stars that filled the night.

A sight that he missed greatly when he was in Clow for the very first time.

"You seem very calm, Syaoran." Yuui whispered. "More so then usual." He didn't want to wake up Watanuki as he fell asleep from telling his life story. If he didn't want to become a professional chef, Yuui would no doubt think that the teen would be an excellent writer.

"I just…feel so relaxed." Syaoran sighed. "I don't know why. I just do." He then closed his eyes. "Every night, since I began traveling again, I couldn't afford to relax. Every world has its dangers and troubles. But here…I don't know…it's just….hard to describe."

"You've been hopping from place to place for a long time, huh?" Yuui closed his eyes. "I bet you need a moment to just stand there and not worry about anything. While I don't know what it's like to be in your shoes, I can understand that much."

Syaoran looked over at Yuui. "Have you ever thought of traveling before?"

"To be honest…I never thought of going anywhere." Yuui glanced at the boy. "In fact I never thought of leaving my home. I thought that at some point in my life, I would take over the family home and just open up a small café in our small town. Brother was always thinking big and taking risks. I was the one who wanted to just stay and never leave."

"…" Syaoran crossed his arms with thought. "So you never thought of going out your hometown?"

"Nope." Yuui smiled. "If things went normally, I wouldn't even be in this country." He then heard Watanuki muttered something that he couldn't make out. His smile softened. "But…this life isn't so bad either. I don't want to change anything about it. Sure there were some problems from then and now but I'm happy with where I am and what I have. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Wow…I never thought of it that way." Watanuki sleepily answered. He lifted his head up. "If I was younger, I probably wanted things to stay the same. But now…I don't want to. Not with having friends who cares. Even…that jerk of a friend."

"Doumeki?" Syaoran asked.

"Oh god, so you_ do_ know that jerk?" Watanuki sulked. "Why am I not surprised?"

Yuui and Syaoran shared a laugh. A feeling of happiness and calmness was around them and had no intention to fade. Almost like they were friends all their lives.

Despite how far they were world-wise.

* * *

Mokona was sleeping comfortably in Yuui's bed. After the room was cleaned up and the bed made, the white creature jumped in the middle and proceeded to sleep right there and then. Mokona was feeling very content that everyone was starting to feel better. Even though she felt like there was nothing she can do, she tried the best she can to be around others and make them feel better even when everything wasn't okay.

Unknown to the people in the house, Mokona was a dream-talk with the black Mokona and the shopkeeper. Mokona was happy that the shopkeeper got the closure that he needed. Though she was a bit sad that he stuck to the promise he made when Yuuko died. But he was happy and Mokona wanted nothing more than that.

For most of her 'dream', she and the black Mokona talked about many things and laughed many times. She sometimes wished that she can stay with him and have a future together. But she knew that she was needed with her other family; Syaoran and the others. She didn't know how long it would take before Syaoran's goal was met but she will wait as long as she could for his sake.

But she dreaded of what would happen when that moment happens. She never thought having mixed emotions would hurt her head.

Then she heard a faint, humming noise. It wasn't in her dream; otherwise it would be in her head. But it wasn't in her head. It sounded like it was coming from outside, out from her dream. A glowing light was seen. It was low but it stood out from her dream. Maybe it was Yuui's alarm clock or something. Yeah, that could be it. Opening her eyes, Mokona was greeted not by an alarm clock like she thought.

She frowned.

Guess it was _that time_ once again.

* * *

"Yuui~!"

"Fai~!"

"Oh dear god, make it stop!"

Syaoran and Watanuki watched in amusement as they saw the mage and the cooking teacher run towards each other and hugged tightly; never wanting to let go. Kurogane on the other hand was near the corner of the porch just wanting to go back inside.

The worldly twins laughed as they were stuck together in their hug. They had big grins on their faces and their auras were as bright as the stars in the sky. The ninja and the younger ones can see that. They all knew that they may not be closely related or even lived near each other, they were brothers; in their own eyes, they were brothers at least…brothers of the heart.

"If you two are done hugging and doing that sentimental crap," Kurogane muttered. "Maybe we can get some_ actual_ conversation over here."

"Aw~! Kurgy's just mad because I'm hugging Yuui and not him." Fai let go of Yuui and ran over to the ninja. He then hugged the man's chest. "But that's okay because no matter what, he's the love of my life~! So he gets the most hugs from me."

…

"That's…a very bold thing to say." Watanuki muttered with a slightly red face.

"This has happened so many times, I have gotten used to it by now." Syaoran shrugged.

"At least someone is." Yuui covered his mouth with a blush.

"Mage…" Kurogane glared at the blonde before him. "If you keep this up, I won't be the only one without a limb."

"So mean~!" Nonetheless, Fai let go of the man's arm and stretched his up in the air with a stressed sigh. "Uh, I can't remember the last time I slept on a couch. It's hard on the back. I don't know how you do it, Yuui."

"Years of practice." Yuui smiled. "And a few too many nights of Alcohol." He then crossed his arms. "I've been meaning to ask though…about the two of you."

"Yes?"

"What?"

"Of the two of you…and forgive me in advance but…who is the…'girl' of the relationship?" Yuui shut his eyes as he was waiting for any screaming or shouting that would come his way. A few seconds past and nothing happened. Opening one eye, Yuui found that neither of them had opened their mouth. All he saw was Fai's amused look and Kurogane's calm expression.

"Wow…"

Yuui turned his head to see that Watanuki was doing the same thing. Minds do think alike. Syaoran on the other hand had a very smug look on his face; something that unlike the Syaoran he knew but more like his twin though. He looked back at the duo and saw that their expressions didn't change one bit.

"Yuui, Yuui, Yuui." Fai shook his head. "After all you have seen your mind is warped in a black and white setting." He then walked over to the cooking teacher and took his hand. "You know by now that your brother and his big puppy—"

"-Hey!" Kurogane shouted with a blush.

"—Had been in a relationship for a long time; I bet before you came to Japan." Fai continued as if he wasn't interrupted. "I know that you lived in a simple life for a while but you have to realize that not everything can be explained in just one way. It's not that easy. I know that seeing two guys in a relationship that's more than friendship is a bit odd. That's because you had no one tell you what it is; you had to know it on your own and that's a whole other trip you were taking. Normally, parents are supposed to be the ones to inform you but…."

"Yeah." Yuui nodded. "I had to admit, when I got a letter from brother a year back, he told me that he was in love with…a guy, I was rather _shocked_. I mean, I have seen his past girlfriends and…I didn't know how to take it."

"I can understand that." Kurogane sighed. "If I was in your position, I'd be crapping my pants in shock." He then scoffed. "I was never told about those kinds of things too. When I lost my parents and spent time training, I never thought of being in a relationship much less with a guy. But I can't deny the fact I _may_ like the same gender. When this moron came along, he really made me rethink a lot of things. I mean he's the reason that I couldn't sleep during nights." He closed his eyes as he felt a look coming in his direction. "But I don't regret being with him because if I had then I wouldn't have done the things I have done. Besides, it doesn't freaking matter who's the 'girl' in 'this' relationship. We're equal and we are content with what we have. That's all you need to know. Got it?"

….

"What?" Kurogane turned his head and saw pairs of wide eyes stare at him in sheer awe.

"Oh Kuro-sama." Fai cooed with a blush. "You really never cease to amaze me." He then walked over to the man and laid his head on the man's shoulder. "You're so sweet and caring. I just never knew that you would put it in words. But…oh Kuro-puu."

Letting what he said sink in, the ninja's face heat up into a bright red color. He began to fluster. "I-I was just saying! Don't get the wrong idea you dumb wizard! Yuui wanted to know and I told him! I'm not sweet damn it!"

"You can say that all you want but you know it's true." Fai said softly. "And that's one of the many things I love about you."

The ninja bit his lip as he tried his best not to yell. As much as he hated to say, the mage had a point. He was becoming more and more like his father each passing day. Oh how he dreaded that when the moment presented itself. Finally he let out a sigh. "I _hate_ my life."

Watanuki was the first one to burst out laughing at the ninja's statement. He laughed so hard that he fell onto the floor and was holding his sides.

Syaoran and Yuui followed him as they were chuckled loudly at both the pair and at Watanuki's surprising reaction. Then Fai came along with a few laughs of his own. Though hesitant, Kurogane eventually cracked a smile; unable to be angry at the moment. The backyard was filled with laughter as neighbors were probably looking out of their windows to figure out what the hell was going on but they didn't care.

It was their secret and their secret alone.

The happy moment was interrupted however as Fai suddenly stopped laughing and his eyes widened. He stood up and looked over at the back door.

Yuui, having seen the sudden movement looked at Fai with confusion. "What's wrong Fai?"

The mage frown and his face darkened a bit. Then a smile graced his lips. "Mokona…I know you're there. You don't have to hide."

"Huh?" Yuui along with the others quieted down as the door opened revealing the white creature in question. However there was something that stopped the travelers' hearts. Feeling the tension, Yuui decided to speak up. "W-What's going on? What's with the faces and…what's Mokona glowing blue."

Standing up from his seat, he looked at Yuui with a grim expression. "It's seems….that…we have ran out of time."

"Eh? What do you mean, Syaoran?" Watanuki asked.

"What I mean is…" Syaoran gulped. "We have to go. To travel once again. Immediately."

Yuui's heart sank. He looked at Fai who was glancing away from the group and then at Kurogane who stared at the ground. He looked back at Syaoran who locked his brown eyes to his sapphire ones. He shook his head. "No…it can't be…"

"I'm sorry, but…it looks like our stay here is up." Syaoran softly said.

It didn't take a genius to know what was going on in Yuui's head. But if the sudden slumped position was any indication, it wasn't a good sign. Then again, what was good about all of this?

_He should have known._

_Nothing lasts forever._

* * *

[Present]

Yuui watched in dismay as the travelers started dressing up in their normal attire; sending the clothes the cooking teacher bought for them into Mokona. He felt a slight pain in his hands. He realized that he was grasping them together rather together. He didn't want them to leave. He knew he was being selfish but what else can he say.

He didn't want them to go.

_Don't go._

_I still need you._

_Please don't leave._

_Please!_

"Well that's about it." Fai said as he tied his hair properly. He glanced as Watanuki first then at Yuui. He smiled. "I suppose we made a total mess of your break huh? I know you rather be at home reading comic books or creating new recipes."

"Nah. I'm fine." Watanuki waved dismissively. "If anything, I was glad that something exciting happened. It sure beats being alone doing homework."

"Heh. Glad I don't have to worry about those things." Kurogane smirked a bit.

"Learning spells was a whole new level of homework that I would do without." Fai grinned. "I mean there were so many books in just little time. Sometimes I wonder how I got a hold of this magic in the first place."

"I think it was your eyes, Fai." Syaoran pointed out. "You know, it being blue and all."

"Kid," Kurogane rubbed his forehead. "The moron was joking. You need to stop taking everything he says seriously." He ruffled the boy's hair as the kid blushed at his mistake. "Man, I thought you move on from that."

"Ah well-"

"How can you all be nonchalant about this?"

All eyes turned to Yuui who had his arms crossed. The cooking teacher had tears threatening to spill from his eyes. And he gritted his teeth. "I've just known you guys for just a few days but you all have made a huge impact on my life. You can't just get up and leave."

"Yuui…" Fai started.

"No!" Yuui shouted. "I refuse to accept this! I can't! I won't!" He felt like everything was tearing apart once again. First his family, then his life, then finally himself. Without knowing, his heart was hurting on the inside with his mind in chaos. He didn't know what to do anymore. "Not when…not when…we have become so close."

Gulping, Watanuki felt himself being a bit upset. He was in the same page in Yuui about them just leaving and probably not coming back. But he learned a long time ago the hard way that you can't make anyone stay just because _you_ wanted them to. Life moves on and eventually, so does the person in question. Oddly enough….

"Listen to me…" Fai walked towards Yuui and cupped his face. "I know it's hard. I know that it's never easy to say that darn word because you have said that before, right? You don't want this to endbecause you think this is the only good thing that has happened in your life and it will go away. But it's not."

Yuui looked at Fai and saw a very serene smile on his face.

"Don't you see? Your life wasn't just filled with just the bad things. Everyone's lives are a pile of good and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things but vice-versa the bad things don't spoil the good things. Whether or not one's life end are determined not only on the good/bad things but the ultimate decision that they make; 'What do I do now?'

The cooking teacher didn't say a word about that, so Fai took it as a sign to continue.

"Yuui…I know you have lived through the bad, with your past and the deaths you have witnessed but I _know_ that you have enjoyed the good too. You can't say that your life was nothing but a pain-ridden ride this whole time because if that were true…would you be here, being held by me?"

"…No…" Yuui found his voice. "No I wouldn't be here….I'd be…."

"Yes." Fai said. "You, my dear friend have not been alone. I can see in your eyes that even if you're in agony and suffering, there are still people _in this world_ who want nothing more than to see you get better and smile like you have never smiled before. You have been down, Yuui; countless times before. But you're far from out. Am I right?"

_Don't you worry about a thing, my little brother! Big brother Fai is here for you._

_If you want to just…talk or something…you know where to find me._

_Yuui-sensei, if you need to chat with me, let me know. We can share a bottle of sake to drown those sorrows._

_Don't worry, Yuui-sensei. Nii-san and I are here when you need us!_

_It's okay to be sad, Yuui-sensei. You helped me with my problems so I want to help you too._

_Hang in there, Yuui-sensei._

_Yuui-sensei!_

_Yuui-sensei!_

_Yuui!_

_My dear boy, my lovely son. Are you alright? Don't worry, mommy's here. As long as you have people who care, you'll always find happiness._

"How…how can I be that blind?" Yuui chocked as he began sobbing very audibly loud. He felt a forehead touching his but he couldn't find the energy to care. "How…can I not see…." He then felt arms wrapping around him. From whom he didn't know and he didn't want to know. All he knew at that moment was that he was around people who cared for him.

No…that wasn't right.

There were _always_ people around for him who cared. They were always there. In rain or shine; day or night; close or afar. They were there and were ready to lend out a hand. Yuui just didn't realize it.

"It's okay." Fai whispered as he held Yuui in his arms. "It's okay. You're not alone. You were never alone. You're safe and sound now." What the mage himself didn't realize was he was not only saying those words to Yuui but to himself as well. Words that didn't need to be said but were coming out anyway. Nonetheless, it comforted both the blondes. "It's fine…everything's fine now. Don't worry…"

Watanuki felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Syaoran smiling at him. "..What?"

"I saw that look." Syaoran shrugged. "It feels nostalgic, doesn't it?" When Watanuki's head turned away from him his smile soften. "Doumeki huh?"

"...When I was going into middle school…" Watanuki muttered. "I was in the rain one day and he confronted me…I blew up…and he…I felt better okay? But it doesn't matter, he's still a jerk." He scowled.

"Sure." Syaoran chuckled. "Sure, it was."

* * *

[In the back porch]

"For the last time, I won't take it!"

Fai sighed. "Come on Yuui, don't you think you're being a bit immature about this?"

"Overstatement of the century." Kurogane muttered. He then got a light smack to the head from the mage.

"I don't care. I still won't take it." Yuui crossed his arms. He glanced once more at Fai's seresu inner coat. It had a bit of dirt and it was slightly wrinkled but it was in fine shape. In fact, it was the perfect coat to wear in the coldest of nights. Unfortunately, Yuui just couldn't take it. He just didn't want something that meant so much to another.

Holding the coat with both of his hands, Fai frowned. "Look, we both know how much this coat had been through. If I had my way, I'd give you my furry white coat instead. But that was…lost…forever in fact." He then set his eyes hard on Yuui. "But I have little to no use to this coat now. I have this lovely outfit; courtesy of the royal family in Clow. I wanted to get rid of this coat for a while anyway. But I also wanted to see it be of use to someone else so I thought 'why not you?' You don't like the cold at all and you wanted something to prove that we came to this world and not some dream, right?"

"Yes…." Yuui rolled his eyes. "But this coat, useless is it is or was…it's what's left of your own world. Seresu was your home. I can't take the only piece of that. I just can't stand the guilt."

"Yuui, I have sacrificed a lot to get where I am now." Fai sighed. "Yes, I'd be giving away a piece of my world but in turn you'll be given something that will be a reminder to what happened, to us, to your friends during that time and most importantly…you." He then lend out the coat. "So…how about it? Please~?"

Looking at Fai, then at the coat then back at Fai, Yuui bit his lip. Then, though hesitantly he reached out and took the coat from Fai's hands. He held the coat tightly in his arms. He then slightly smiled. "I have to say, I don't think anyone had a gift this special from a complete stranger before."

"Stranger?" Fai pouted. "After all this time, you and I are still strangers?" He then grinned. "If that's the case then I'll be needing that coat back if I'm such a stranger to you.

Yuui started laughing. "I'm joking." He then smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much. I'll take care of this coat."

"I have no doubt about that." Fai smiled softly. "Will you be alright from now on?"

"It's a long road." Yuui sighed. "But it's safe to say that there won't be much pain. Only happiness for me. Thank you…all of you for everything."

"Don't thank us." Fai shook his head. "You handled the big parts, we just nudged you int eh right direction. That's all."

"But still….thank you."

"Not at all."

* * *

"So I guess this is goodbye." Watanuki smiled slightly.

"I guess so." Syaoran lend out a hand. As Watanuki took his hand, he shook. "It was a pleasure to meet you." He then glanced at Yuui. "And it was very nice to meet you as well, kind host."

"No problem." Yuui said as he hugged the coat tightly. "Just be safe, okay."

"We will."

"I'm sure we'll see again someday~!" Mokona cheered. "Mokona and everyone really like this world. Even Kuro-puu."

Kurogane scoffed. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Regardless…" Syaoran bowed formally. "Thank you. Thank you very much for helping us through that situation and we hope the best."

"Thanks."

"Thank you."

"Now then, Mokona!" Fai shouted.

The white creature jumped from Kurogane's shoulder and into the air as a big glowing magic circle started to appear and it formed right below the travelers.

"What the hell?" Watanuki yelled as he tried to cover his eyes from the brightness.

"This…this is magic?" Yuui found himself screaming. "That's amazing!"

Suddenly, Mokona sprouted a huge pair of pearly white wings that circulated the air as well as the magic around it. Then Mokona opened her mouth and the air began being sucked into it. Then one by one the travelers started glowing before being sucked into that mouth. Kurogane gave a small smile. Syaoran nodded with a grin. Lastly Fai, who gave a wave; mostly to Yuui. As the travelers were sucked in, Mokona closed her mouth and went into the circle. Then the magic circle disbursed completely, leaving only specks of its energy onto the porch.

Yuui touched one of the specks with curiosity and smiled.

"Holy crap." Watanuki breathed out. "That was the weirdest thing I have ever saw. I mean magic…_actual_ incredible magic…from another world!" He then found himself smiling. "I got to see something that no one else has seen before! Whoo!" He pumped a fist into the air. "Take that Doumeki! For once, I have the upper hand!"

Yuui tilted his head up into the sky which was slowly becoming bright. The sun was starting to rise. There was no mistaking the tints of red, pink and orange that was filling the sky. "I don't know…will we actually see those people again?"

Coming down from his victory high, Watanuki let out a small smile. "Maybe. All we can do is hope for that. At least that's what I'm doing anyway." He shrugged. "Besides, I don't think they'd be gone forever. Nothing can disappear completely, right?"

Closing his eyes, Yuui let out a chuckle. "Yes, I guess you're right." He then looked at Watanuki. "It's late, how about we go inside and get some rest. Spring break's almost over and you have some recipes to try out later."

Grinning brightly, Watanuki nodded. "Sure."

The two then started walking into the house. As his foot touched the doorway, Yuui cast one last look at the sky and smiled softly. He then went in and closed the door behind him.

* * *

_Goodbyes are sad, to me they are always sad._

_But life goes on._

_Friends come and go._

_We move on now and again_

_But memories never fade._

_They can never be erased from our minds as well as our heart._

_As we cannot forget what we have seen or who we have met in our lifetime._

_Something is always left behind._

_We humans will always be nostalgic of what was or what have been._

_Always have been, always will be._

_Nothing goes away; not completely._

_And for goodbyes as well._

_After all, it's never really goodbye, not as long as we dare to hope and believe._

_Isn't that right…Fai?_

* * *

**Stay tuned for Epilogue! **

* * *

**Review please~!  
**


	23. Until we meet again

It's done! It's finally done! Hooray! FINALLY! It's complete after this WHOLE YEAR. WHOO~!

I won't say anything else though. XD

Enjoy~!

* * *

**Until we meet again**

* * *

Yuui let out a breath that turned into a puff of smoke into the air. He shivered. "Huh. I never knew how cold the winter is. Probably because when it snows, I'm inside; catching up on my sleep." He walked down the sidewalk around his neighborhood as the snow continued to fall.

The cooking teacher still couldn't believe that months had passed since the incident that occurred during spring break. It felt like just yesterday that he was just shopping for groceries and met that group of people who called them travelers. Even in the winter, he felt like spring just happened the day before.

But here he was, enjoying the solemn cold weather just after Christmas day. And to think, if things didn't happened the way it did; he'd be dead already.

Now _there's_ a thought that gave chills down his spine on more than one occasion.

The sidewalk downed into a mucky light brown path as he ventured from the streets into a small local park. He glanced over the thick snow and saw children playing around; throwing snowballs, making snowman and creating snow angels on the ground.

Leave it to kids to remind you how _simple_ life can be.

Finding a single bench next to the path, Yuui chuckled and sat down. He found it very lucky that the bench was next to a street lamp and under a tree which was bare. It was like he was on a set for some drama movie.

Heh, drama. Like his life was anything else but that.

He leaned back; taking in the snow that was not falling on his face. He let the ice crystals touch his face; as if an ice queen was gently caressing his face...kind of like a mother would.

_Mother…._

Slightly frowning, Yuui opened his eyes and stared up at the light gray sky. Months have passed since the incident and yet his _own_ memories were lingering in his mind; popping up whenever they felt like doing. Though…it was getting easier to deal with it.

He had friends and family after all.

"Hey mister!"

Yuui tilted his head forward and saw a little girl with a dark pink jacket looking back at him with a bit of awe. He smiled. "Yes little one, what is it?"

The girl pointed at him. "That's a really cool coat." She grinned. "It's so pretty and blue~!"

"Why yes, it is very blue." Yuui softly smiled. "It's was a gift you see. There's nothing like this anywhere else. It was made especially for me."

"Oh~!" The girl exclaimed. "Did a friend made that for you?"

With a smile that was lost on the girl, Yuui shrugged. "In a way, yes."

"Sweetie! It's time to go." A woman called out.

"Okay mommy." The girl called back. "It's nice talking to you mister." She then smiled and ran back to where she was.

Yuui looked up and saw the girl at her mother's legs; hugging them and then pointing at his general direction. The mother looked up and nodded to the blonde with an embarrassed smile.

_Children will be children. _

The cooking teacher nodded back with a laid-back manner; reassuring the mother that the girl wasn't up to any mischief. The pair started walking down the path that was on the other side of the park while singing Christmas tunes.

Seeing the pair off, Yuui's smile faded a bit but he was far from sad. He then closed his eyes once again. In his mind, he can hear singing and laughter from various people. He then found himself humming it. Like his father, he can't really sing a solo around others but he felt like he could it, for the holidays at least and for family.

_Silent night….Holy night….All is calm…_

* * *

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

Kurogane took a bag from Yuui's hands and stared at the cooking teacher. "I really appreciate you doing this; even though I would rather have done this myself."

"No, it's no problem." Yuui smiled as he waved his hands. "My day was drab and dull anyway. I needed to do something." He then slightly frowned. "Will brother be okay?"

"Don't worry." Kurogane lightly scoffed. "It may a hell of a cold, but it's _just_ a cold." He then looked down at the bag. "Besides with all of this medicine, I can almost be certain that the moron will be up and about in no time."

"Well that's good." Yuui then bowed. "Nice seeing you again. I'll call you later to check up." As he turned around, he was stopped by an arm. He looked over his shoulder to see bright ruby eyes glancing back at him. "Is something wrong?"

"No...not with me anyway." Kurogane then sighed. "I still don't get it."

"Get what?"

"Everything." Kurogane said with a bit of frustration. "With spring break, Sakura, Watanuki, and even you." He rubbed his forehead. "When the moron and I came back it was like the three people that we knew were replaced by a trio who…are older. It just doesn't feel normal."

"Kurogane, relax." Yuui chuckled. "I'm still the same Yuui when you left for Italy. I just…had of stuff to do. That's all."

"I don't believe you." Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "I find it hard to believe that in the mist of just two weeks that you would become _this_." He looked up and down at Yuui to prove his point.

"You'd be surprised how a person's perspective on pretty much everything can change over a short period of time." Yuui responded softly. "I have to admit, I didn't like it at first but…." He grinned a bit. "I can't deny it any longer. I have my whole life ahead of me and I can't just let it go by because of a few sour lemons in my past. I have to move on…no matter how painful it is. It's time to walk on."

"…." Kurogane stared at Yuui with what looked like new admiration. It was Yuui that was talking but at the same time it wasn't. But he'd be lying if he said that he didn't like this new version of Fai's younger brother. He let out a small smile. "And what happened while we were away; you know that I don't believe a word of that either, right?"

* * *

"_Oh my god Yuui. You were in a car accident?"_

_Kurogane stared wide eyed at the cooking teacher as Fai ran over and hugged the flustered blonde. _

"_Well sort of." Yuui said as he lend into Fai's comfort._

"_Sort of?" Kurogane asked. "What the hell do you mean by that?"_

"_Well…." Yuui looked away. "A couple days after you guys left, I was…grocery shopping when I met up with Watanuki and we weren't paying attention when the car was coming at us." That was the lie he told Watanuki in case people would ask. They agreed to it and they hoped they would buy it._

"_At the last minute though I pushed the boy and myself out of the way." Yuui smiled. "But I felt the aftershocks that I fainted. Watanuki dragged me home and waited for me to wake up…the rest was a fast blur."_

"_Oh Yuui." Fai cooed as he petted Yuui's head. "You must have been so scared. I'm sorry that I wasn't with you." He then smiled. "But I'm glad that you're safe now. I'll have to thank Wata-kun for that."_

"_You don't have to…" But those words were drowned out as Fai started babbling about desserts, Italy and the rest of what happened on that trip._

_Kurogane on the other hand stood there quietly. He had a slight suspicion that Yuui was lying which was very unbecoming of the cooking teacher. Besides, an almost-accident wasn't the sort of thing that would happen. Not where Yuui was living._

_Something just wasn't right about it._

* * *

Yuui shrugged. "Believe what you will; it really did happen."

"Fine." Kurogane frowned. "While I don't believe it, I'll accept it." He then groaned as he heard whining coming from the hallway. "Ah crap. Moron's awake."

"Then I guess I should get going before the both of us get sucked in." Yuui grinned. "I'll be seeing you."

"Right." Kurogane nodded.

The cooking teacher was about to walk away when he stopped. He turned his head towards Kurogane. "Oh and I have one more thing say before I go."

"Really? What's that?" Kurogane then got a shock of a lifetime when he felt a pair of lips touched his cheek very gently. His mind shut down and his body froze on impact. As the warmth of those lips separated, all he can do was stare at the person before; the one called Yuui.

"I meant what I said about moving on…but I wasn't just talking about life." Yuui then waved at the gym teacher. "Good bye." And down the sidewalk he went.

The gym teacher continued to stare at the blonde even after he was gone from sight. He just couldn't….what the hell just happened?

"Kuro~!" Fai moaned as he made his way to the living. "I want some tea! And a snuggly puppy to sleep on!" He then caught sight of Kurogane just standing in the doorway; the chills of the outside world coming in. Fai furrowed his eyebrows. "Kuro-sama…" He called out. "Kuro, are you okay?"

Like snapping out a trance, Kurogane slightly jumped and turned to see the sickly blonde. Whatever his expression was, it caused a frown to the chemistry teacher.

"Kuro-sama, you look….shocked." Fai then tightened his blanket that was draped on him. "Is everything alright?"

Reeling his mind back to the present, Kurogane's shocked expression turned into a playful frown. "Of course everything's alright. I'm not an idiot like you; getting sick and all."

Fai pouted. "That's a very mean thing to say. Maybe I _should_ get you sick too."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. You want that tea or what?"

"Yes please~!" Fai stuck his tongue out as he ran into the kitchen; giggling along.

Kurogane shook his head with a low chuckle and then closed the door behind him. He stood there for a few seconds before letting out a small smile. "I wasn't lying; it looks like everything _is _alright. Well…for a certain blonde that is." He then walked towards the kitchen where no doubt something was on fire no thanks to the sick blonde he had to take care of.

_Let's let sleeping dogs lie; shall we?_

* * *

"Yuui-sensei. Fancy meeting you here."

"Same here, Watanuki."

The blue-eyed teen smiled as he and Yuui walked around the city mall. The inside of the building was decorated with Christmas gear despite Christmas coming and going. It was packed with people as it was a weekend and there were many who wanted to either return the gifts they were given or exchange it for something better.

"So, how are thing going on your end?" Yuui asked.

"Pretty good actually." Watanuki smiled. "Ever since that spring break, I've been a bit busy, trying to….keep my mind off things. But Yuuko-sensei, Himawari and even that jerk Doumeki saw through me." He crossed his arms. "Yuuko-sensei confronted me one day after school just before summer break. And boy did she look worried."

"I can imagine." Yuui nodded. "So what did the two of you talked about?"

"Well it was more like Yuuko-sensei talking and just me listening but it was about me." Watanuki smiled. "I never knew that Yuuko can frown like that. Usually she's all hyper and junk. But when she pulled me into her office, she was like a different person."

Yuui frowned as Watanuki stopped walking and leaned on the metal railing.

"What happened months before…it still shocked me to the core. I have accepted it, that there were many worlds and that I just talked to my other self but…the pain that everyone endured…I...I couldn't do a thing. And then there's you."

"I told you Watanuki…you have helped me in more ways than one." Yuui shook his head.

"It's not good enough." Watanuki closed his eyes. "Anyway, the more Yuuko-sensei talked the more I remember the shopkeeper and the death of his world's Yuuko. The memory of seeing someone being taken away just….I just lost it."

"Lost it?"

"Yeah. One minute I'm getting a lecture and the next a hand touched my face and a question: 'Is something the matter?'" He then chuckled. "She thought I was crying because she was telling me off. Boy was she off."

"Did you tell her?" Yuui asked.

"Nah. I couldn't even if I wanted to. How can I?" Watanuki shook his head. "Bringing a topic of knowing their other self was dead isn't exactly a good conversation starter. So I told her that I really stressed and she bought it." He then covered his mouth as a blush came upon his face. "Then she did it."

Yuui raised an eyebrow. "Did what?"

"She…hugged me." Watanuki muttered. "And told me that no matter how hard life is, you can still enjoy the little things. And that was it."

"I bet Himawari and Doumeki gave you a hard time too." Yuui said with a thoughtful look. "I seem to remember the stoic young man being a bit tense lately."

"Yeah well…I refused to tell him what happened to me and he got pissed." Watanuki pouted. "Like he cares. He's not my mom or the police, if I don't want to tell him then tough."

"And Himawari?"

"…." Watanuki covered his eyes as a groan came out of his mouth. "I _lied_. I _lied_ to a _girl_. What do _you_ think?"

Yuui didn't know what to say to that.

"So…have you been doing okay?" Watanuki asked. "I see you're wearing that coat again."

Tightening the coat, Yuui chuckled. "I've been doing better; great in fact. My body and soul has never been lighter. Though I guess everyone is still at me because what happened in the summer."

"Yeah. You really shocked us when you just took off to travel to Europe during summer break. You didn't even tell Fai-sensei and he's usually the one who knows first. What possessed you to do that?" Watanuki asked.

"I…I wanted to see the places that I was afraid to go when I was younger." Yuui thought about it. "When the strings of my past began to snap, I just felt like going; Norway, England, even Romania. I just wanted to move and never stop. It was funny because I was unable to even leave my own home much less go to Japan. But now…I can no longer hold myself back and I felt better because of it."

With a small smile, Watanuki leaned forward and patted Yuui's shoulder. "I'm happy to hear that. Wish I can be that brave." He then reached into his pocket. "Speaking of which, I know this may be a bit late but I have something for you."

"Oh Watanuki, you don't have to—"

"It's from the shopkeeper."

Yuui fell silent. "…Is that so?" He then looked at the small red box with a white ribbon. "W-What did he say or rather has he been okay ever since….?"

"He's doing better." Watanuki nodded. "As far as healing goes. He's still the shopkeeper but he refused to tell me how long in his world has it been since we last talked. I chatted with him just a month ago in a dream and a couple months before that and so on. But he told me to give this to you."

"What is it?" Yuui took the box and covered it with his hands.

"I can't tell you. The shopkeeper said that when you open, you'll know. When that'll happen, I don't know but I'm keeping my mouth shut." Watanuki smirked.

"Oh how tragic." Yuui chuckled. "Then that means I can't open it now, huh? Why am I not surprised?"

The blue-eyed teen chuckled back.

"Watanuki~!"

The male duo looked over and saw Himawari waving at them with Doumeki in tow. The two had bags from various shops. The girl was smiling brightly while Doumeki (apparently) has a slight scowl on his face. Though Yuui can safely assume the look was for Watanuki.

"Well that's my cue to leave." Watanuki smiled. "I'm helping Himawari with gift exchanging and…Doumeki's just dragging with us." He muttered.

"Oh. Well don't let me keep you up any longer from your friends." Yuui lifted the box. "Just tell you-know-who thank you."

"Will do."

Yuui waved at the trio as they were walking away. Before they were out of his sight, the cooking teacher caught the stoic teen's hand intertwine with Watanuki's…just slightly. He blinked twice just in case his mind was playing tricks on him. Then he let out a small smile. "At least I know why Doumeki's scowling."

* * *

"Thank you very much for that present you gave me. I love those cookies you baked."

"Think nothing of it."

Sakura poured a cup of tea as Yuui helped himself with one of scones that were on the table. It was a couple of days after his meeting with Watanuki and the cooking teacher felt like he should visit the last person who had been involved with the incident that occurred. They never got the chance to talk fully about it, though it was the same case with Watanuki. What with the school year and all.

The girl sat herself at the table with grace and flow before taking a sip of the tea. "I guess you have heard things about…you know…"

"You mean you and Syaoran being an item?" Yuui smirked at Sakura's red face. "Yes, I have heard of it. And what a surprise that was. Unfortunately, I was halfway around Europe when it happened so I had to rely on Kurogane-sensei to tell me when I came back. So tell me; who confessed first?"

"Um….I kinda did." Sakura fidgeted. "Well I can't say that I did but I can't say Syaoran did either but it felt like he did. But we just blurted out and it when smooth from there. But it was scary how everyone then knew almost a day later."

"Well I heard that Yuuko-sensei's window was open that day…" Yuui trailed off.

Sakura's face fell into her palms. Of course.

"But I'm very happy that you both got your feelings out of the open." Yuui smiled. "Believe me when I say that I'm glad that the two of you got a very happy ending. However, I have to ask; how did Touya take it?"

"…Not bad but not so great either." Sakura then took out a camera and turned it on. "Yuuko-sensei had Yukito take a picture of his reaction."

Yuui took the camera and peered into it. He covered his mouth. "Oh my. Well…it's a good thing that Syaoran is a very fast runner."

"And that there was a rock in the way." Sakura giggled. Taking back the camera, her smile faded a bit. "How have you been feeling? I know that you have doing better but I want to hear it from you."

"Well as you can see; I'm doing great." Yuui clasped his hands. "My heart's lighter and I feel like my soul has been lifted…in a way." He chuckled. "But enough about me have you talked to Watanuki about the incident?"

"Yes, I have. Though we had to keep it a secret because we barely hang out alone as it is and I didn't want to worry Touya-nii-san and Yukito. Though I was told about what had happened with Watanuki and Doumeki."

"Good things I hope." Yuui smiled.

"They are actually become an item as well." Sakura smiled. "It took a lot out of Watanuki to accept it but Doumeki wore him down. I have never seen Watanuki so happy." She squealed.

"Seems everyone is hooking up left and right." Yuui joked. "I wonder if I will find someone someday." His eyes were glazed with an unreadable emotion.

"Oh you will." Sakura reassured the cooking teacher. "Everyone has a special someone. You just have to wait and hope with all of your heart. You'll see; they will be waiting for you too. The red string of fate will bring you together and you'll be happy."

"Red string of fate, huh?" Yuui chuckled. "I'm not familiar of the myth but if you're sure then I'll be hopeful too."

The girl smiled. "Oh. I forgot to ask."

"Yes?"

"Where did you get that coat?"

Yuui smiled as he touched the blue coat that on the chair behind him. "It was a farewell gift from the travelers. They made sure that I keep it, so I have a piece of them to stand by…."

"Are you worried that they won't come back?" Sakura asked. When the cooking teacher nodded, she let out a small smile. "I don't think that they are the type of people who will give others false hope. I'm sure that they will come back. Maybe not today or tomorrow but someday they will return."

"Yeah…someday." Yuui nodded. "I just hope it won't be too late."

* * *

Waking up to snow once again, Yuui lifted his head from his pillow and saw that it was early morning. He groaned. "I can't take this. Mornings should be illegal." He sat up in bed and rubbed his forehead. He glanced over at his nightstand and saw the same box that Watanuki gave him some time before. He frowned.

What could be in that box that the teen wouldn't tell him?

Putting on a robe, Yuui took the box and headed out of his bedroom. Leaning on the door, Yuui opened the box and was very surprised on what's inside. There was a small mirror along with a neatly folded piece of paper under it.

The empty box dropped as Yuui had the mirror in one hand and the paper in another. Unfolding the paper, Yuui found something written inside.

_What you have in your hands is the hope that you've been waiting for._

_The mirror you have is something I have held on for many years._

_Whenever it rains, it means that something great will happen._

_And the mirror will tell you want you need to hear._

_So listen up and listen well…_

* * *

With the seresu coat on, Yuui stood on the back-porch of his yard. The paper was crumbled in his left hand while the mirror was in his right hand. Taking a deep breath, Yuui placed the mirror over his heart and held it close. He closed his eyes. _'Clear you mind, clear your mind. Think of nothing, don't get distracted. Just listen to the voices that come to you. Come on Yuui, you can do this. Just…let go.'_

For a full minute, nothing was happened. After two more minutes, Yuui was starting to get disappointed. Maybe he was hoping too much for nothing. There's no way that anyone can predict what will happen. He could be standing here all day and nothing will happen. The very thought was dragging him down.

Then a very soothing feel went through him. He gasped.

_It's so cold again._

_But it's warmer than I thought._

_The snow is so white and serene. _

_Calm and quiet._

_Just like life should be._

_I'd love to see the look on you face when you see me._

_Yuui…can you hear me?_

_I'm coming._

"Huh?" Yuui opened his eyes just in time to see a glob coming from the sky as it slowing dropped from above. As it hit the ground, it dispersed into bright swirls of color around the backyard before it disappeared completely.

'_Oh my god.' _Yuui couldn't help but just stand there and stare at the people that were right there in front of them. It was too good to be true. But….

The one who held the same sapphire eyes as the cooking teacher smiled softly. It was holding a snowflake in suspension from his hands. "Hello, Yuui. It's been awhile."

With smiles coming from the ninja, the child and the white creature, the cooking teacher can see that they were just as happy to be here in front of him.

Letting a smile out, Yuui clenched the mirror and lend out a hand.

"Welcome back….my friend."

* * *

**END OF STORY**

* * *

**Don't forget to review and check out my other stories.**

**Until Next Time~! ^_^  
**


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